A Scouting Mission
by usuratonkachi-ttebayo
Summary: The war is over and Team Seven is sent on a mission to help reconnect the bonds between themselves that have suffered after years of abuse. The mission doesn't go as planned, though, and the they find themselves in an interesting situation. SasuSaku. Platonic NaruSasu (If that's a thing)?
1. In the Hospital

**a/n: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

The lights were too bright. But try as he might, Sasuke couldn't close his eyes to make them stop hurting. It wasn't a sharp pain, but more of a dull pain that made his eyes feel heavy. Heavy? Shouldn't that make it easier for them to close? It was then that Sasuke realized his eyes _were_ closed.

Not sure if he wanted to open his eyes to see what was going on or keep them closed to keep the brightness at a minimum, he tuned into his other senses for signs of what was going on first. It was silent except for a short, high-pitched beep that would occur a little too often to help with the headache he realized he had.

Ah, yes. He had been asked to check in at the hospital, and they had sent him to rest in a bed after patching him up. He decided against waking up and, rolling over with a small groan, fell back asleep.

* * *

When Sasuke woke again, it was darker, though not completely dark. He opened his eyes and from what he could tell, he was on his side facing away from a door that must've been open, letting the hallway light shine softly into the dark room. He sat up, feeling better rested than he had in a long time. Thinking back, Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he had slept in a real bed in a real room.

Grateful that none of the nurses had seen fit to leave any needles in him, he stood up to find a bathroom. He had to stare at the clock in his room for a few moments before being able to tell the time, his eyes still hurting him. The clock told him it was a few minutes shy of two thirty in the morning. How long had he been asleep? A day? More?

Walking out of the bathroom, he noticed he still hadn't met anyone in the halls. He almost walked back to his room before stopping himself. Honestly, he didn't really want to stay in the hospital. He wanted to get out. But if he did, where would he go? He slowly realized he had nowhere to go. He didn't really know where he was or what country he was in. Was this still the same country the war had taken place in? Feeling slightly tired again, or at least like he for once just wanted to do nothing, he began walking back to his room. Even if he wanted to leave, doing so without supplies and in a hospital gown wasn't the best way to start.

As he walked back down the hall, he thought about his new plan, one he didn't have yet. It was over. Everything was over. Itachi was dead – _again_, Sasuke thought sadly – and in joining forces with Naruto and fighting alongside the Shinobi Alliance, he was now a hero of the war, a hero of the world, and his passion for destroying Konoha was gone. He really didn't know what to do now. Sure, he didn't want to destroy Konoha anymore, but did he want to return? He still wasn't sure.

He stopped in the doorway of his hospital room and stared at something he hadn't noticed before. It had been dark then, and he had just woken up, so he didn't notice that there was another bed between his and the door. With the light coming in from the hallway, Sasuke could just make out two closed eyes between white bed sheets and blond hair.

He was sharing a room with Naruto.

Hesitantly, caught between two choices, he looked away from his bed, pulled up a chair beside Naruto's sleeping figure, and sat down. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fingers threaded together under his nose as he stared at what wasn't covered of Naruto's face. Despite the war they had just fought together and the few other times they had encountered each other, the last time Sasuke really looked at Naruto was back at Orochimaru's layer. But that wasn't really up close. For the first time since they were twelve, Sasuke looked at his best friend and began to notice how different he looked. He knew he had gotten taller. His hair was a little longer but actually looked better on him since it was less unruly. Sasuke wondered if Naruto was the same childish prankster as he had been years ago. From what he could tell, his face was more angular and the arm hanging out of the covers pointed to long hours of training each day.

Naruto would want Sasuke to return to Konoha. That was what he had trained so long and hard for in the first place. But Sasuke didn't know if he wanted to return back to his old village. What would he do? He was a missing nin, but he figured being a big part in defeating Madara probably would take out most of the sting of his punishment. Could he go back to being a normal ninja, back to living a normal life? He thought of what his old life entailed. Now that the war was over, would the missions even be anything compared to as challenging as the past years of his life had been? Was Naruto still obsessed with ramen? Would Sasuke have to eat ramen every other day, again? He couldn't remember the last time he had ramen. _Please tell me there will be no more fangirls_. Honestly, it wasn't like he really knew what else to do, but he didn't know if going back would be possible.

He thought of Sakura and Kakashi. At least he had seen them during the battle and knew they were alright. He thought of Shikamaru, Lee, Ino, Neji, Kiba and wondered how many of the people he used to know survived the war.

Would they accept him back? He wasn't sure if he cared, although a part of him told him he did. He wasn't much of a people person anyway, so as long as Naruto and the rest of Team Seven wanted him back, he could probably do it.

Thinking that he didn't really like the idea, but that it wasn't an option that he would rule out at this point, he fell asleep once more.

* * *

Eyelids fringed in blond eyelashes lifted at the sound of voices.

"No, I'm fine here" a low voice grumped softly.

"But sir, you really should stay and rest in your bed for a little longer."

"Hn."

Naruto knew that voice anywhere.

"Sasuke?" His voice came out quieter and rougher from disuse than he meant it to. Sasuke turned to face him but said nothing. Realizing it really was Sasuke, that _Sasuke_ was right there sitting next to him, Naruto sat up sharply in bed, stared at him gaping for a second, and then lunged over to hug him, almost falling off the bed in the process. He felt Sasuke stiffen for a moment, but smiled as he relaxed.

"I'm so glad you're back, teme." Naruto said, not yet letting go of him.

Sasuke didn't tell him that he wasn't back yet, that he didn't know if he ever would be. He almost felt sorry to think it.

Once Naruto rested his back against the head of his bed, the nurse checked him and then, forcing him back to his own bed, checked Sasuke too before leaving the room. Sasuke didn't feel like just lying in bed when he wasn't tired anymore so he went back to his chair beside Naruto.

Naruto didn't know what to say to him, but that didn't really bother him. He just sat in his bed and relished the fact that Sasuke, Team Seven's Sasuke, his best friend, after so many years, was sitting beside him. They were together again.

They both sat like that for a while and had only just asked each other how they were feeling when Sakura walked in. She paused in the doorway, surprised to see them already awake and together, but she smiled softly and pulled up a chair on the other side of Naruto's bed.

"Hey, Naruto. Sasuke-kun."

Naruto smiled and Sasuke nodded.

And there the members of Team Seven sat for the rest of the morning, all in matching hospital gowns, thinking things over. Sakura had been admitted too, though only for extreme chakra exhaustion, which the boys had too. Any wounds the boys had were minor enough that they were nothing a little medical ninjustu couldn't fix. Kakashi was the only one who would have to stay for a bit. The overuse of his Mangekyou while fighting Obito had taken a serious toll on his body, not to mention the emotional pain he was going through after his best friend had died once again.

Naruto didn't really know what to say to his teammates and he could tell they felt the same, too. But the silence wasn't an uncomfortable one despite the fact they had almost all tried to kill each other not too long ago.

When a nurse came in with lunch trays for him and Sasuke, Sakura announced that she would go back to her room for lunch and take another nap.

"You guys should sleep, too. The sooner we recover, the sooner we can go back." He and Sasuke nodded, not really wanting to sleep again, but definitely wanting to get out.

When Sakura said, "See you later," the three of them smiled softly to themselves, knowing that that would be true.

After eating lunch together, Sasuke went back to his bed and Naruto tried to sleep. Honestly, he almost felt like he didn't mind the hospital. So much had happened lately that the calm and restfulness was very welcome. He tried to turn his mind off, but it was too full of 'my closest friend', 'we both die', final blows on evil relics from the past, teammates, 'please oh please oh please no don't die no', and thoughts of home.

* * *

When Sakura woke up the next morning, she actually felt rested. She ate her breakfast of toast, applesauce, milk, and orange juice, was checked by a nurse, and left her room to visit her teammates.

She visited Kakashi's room first, but only stayed for five minutes since he was still asleep. When she arrived at Naruto and Sasuke's room, she was surprised to find it empty. Their breakfast trays were empty but their things were still there so Sakura didn't think they had been discharged yet. She waited in the room for a few minutes but then decided to search the building for them. Walking out of the doorway, she almost crashed into the very two people she wanted to see.

"Ah, sorry! Good morning, Naruto! Good morning, Sasuke-kun! Did you guys sleep well?

"Morning, Sakura-chan! Yeah, we're fine. Hey, guess what? The nurse told us they need beds for other people and since we really are fine now, she said we'll be discharged at noon!"

"That's what I was told, too." Sakura beamed. This was it. Team Seven was together again and they would be going home. "I visited Kakashi-sensei on my way here and it looks like he'll have to stay for a bit longer." She paused. "Does this mean we go home now? The three of us?" Sakura couldn't keep the hope out of her voice.

Naruto smiled and agreed, "I think so." She saw Naruto's smile falter as he looked over at Sasuke. She then noticed that he was staring at the ground, shifting his weight between his feet.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Teme, you are coming back to Konoha with us, right?" Despite his voice's forcefulness, Naruto sounded unsure.

Sasuke looked up, first to Naruto and then to her. He looked at the floor again.

"I don't know."

"Sasuke-kun, please come back. You have no reason not to know. It's your home. You have people there. Naruto and I will be with you. Kakashi-sensei wants you back, too."

"Sasuke, you don't have to worry about anybody there. You're a hero now. Do you have anywhere else to go? Anything else you have to do now?"

". . . No." Sakura wished she could see Sasuke's expression but he was hiding behind his bangs. He had changed so much. Seeing him unsure of himself, hiding behind dark hair that had gotten too long, in an awkward hospital gown was such a contrast compared to how she was used to seeing him. She felt so sad for him, not pity, but she was determined to make Sasuke happy and confident again.

"Sasuke, Sakura-chan and I have done everything to bring you back. Konoha is your home. Team Seven is your family. We just want you to be happy again."

There was silence for a little while.

"Please, Sasuke-kun," Sakura pleaded softly. "We know a lot has happened, but a lot has happened for all of us. Just give it a chance. Or at least tell us what you're thinking so we can help you."

Sasuke looked up at them again before turning around toward the door.

"I'm going for a walk," he mumbled. When Naruto took a step toward him, he added, "I'll be right back."

She and Naruto watched him walk down the hall and she hoped that he would realize how much they loved him. And how much he loved them.

* * *

Sasuke found the courtyard easily enough. He wanted to just walk for a while, to look at the scenery for once and avoid the issue at hand, but he forced himself to stay focused. What exactly were his plans now? What were the reasons why he should go to Konoha? What were the reasons he shouldn't go to Konoha? Answering those three questions should make it easy enough to make his choice. Why was it so hard? Why did he want to do anything but answer those questions? Maybe because it indirectly involved assessing the choices he had made up until now. He didn't regret them. How could he? Of course there was Itachi, but . . . he . . . with the information he had at the time . . . it wasn't . . . he didn't mean . . .

Sasuke choked up and, frustrated, clenched his fists harder at his sides, wishing for pockets to shove them into. He decided to go back to thinking about what had brought him here. He couldn't answer those questions in front of Naruto and Sakura. Not with them staring at him, eyes pleading even if his wouldn't meet theirs. But he owed them an answer. That, at least, Sasuke knew. He owed himself the answers, too. He was never one to just sit around; he needed to know what he was going to do from now on.

What exactly were his plans now? He had none, at least none in terms of things he really had to get done. He had no specific goals to accomplish or things to see done.

What were the reasons why he should go to Konoha? He used to live there, he knew his way around, he knew some of the people, they might welcome him back. And it was where his team was. As much as his definition of the word wasn't solid, he knew, though he could hardly admit it, and never say it, that he loved them. Kakashi was helpful and had always had a knack for knowing what to say. Sakura had always been special and she was not the same as when they were twelve in all the right ways. And Naruto was his best friend, the brother he loved. Even though he was the last Uchiha, he still had a family.

What were the reasons he shouldn't go to Konoha? They might not accept him back. They might have a strict punishment waiting for him despite his efforts in the war. He didn't really have anything to do there, except grow old and die as a regular shinobi. Maybe most of all, he didn't know if he could overcome all the memories. He wondered if the Uchiha section of town was still abandoned. The village was where his family had been, lived, thrived, laughed, loved, grew and where they weren't now. It was where their tombs and decayed bodies were. It was where the elders who had ruined his and his brother's lives were. It was where people laughed and lived. That wasn't for him. Sasuke just couldn't see it. More than anything, he just didn't think he could live day to day among those people. Yes, there was his team, but that would probably be it. He had lived every day since the massacre as an avenger with a strict focus, and now that part in his life was over. It had been important, it had been all he was, but it just wasn't what he would be now. Vengeance not being necessary anymore made him feel uncertain, almost uncomfortable.

But what other options did he have? He really had nothing else to do, nothing left to fight for. Maybe his life in the village would be a struggle, but his life outside the village would be empty.

"Hn." That made it seem pretty clear what the best choice was. So why was he so hesitant? Sakura had told him to just give it a chance. As the words _maybe I could_ floated around in his mind, a suffocating weight he didn't know he had been carrying lifted gently off his shoulders, as if a bird with a millstone tied around its neck had taken flight.

* * *

They both hugged him. They both cried. He couldn't understand. But really, he could. Sasuke didn't see why he was so special, but he knew that they were both special and irreplaceable to him, so he figured that must've been their reason for their feelings toward him. When they pulled back, he saw that they were smiling. Naruto was staring over his shoulder in a daze as a tear rolled down his cheek and Sakura was looking at him straight in the face with her glossy eyes. He realized she had beautiful eyes. At his friends' reactions, the corner of his mouth hauled itself up the side of his face, surprising himself.

At noon, they were discharged and, over lunch, they made plans to return to Konoha.

* * *

**a/n:** More chapters to come soon! Reviews are greatly appreciated! :)


	2. Back

Sasuke stopped beside him when the gates appeared ahead. Naruto could see the uncertainty, and smallest bit of fear, in his eyes. Sasuke showing even a small amount of fear unsettled him, but they would get through this together.

"First stop, the Hokage Tower," he announced.

When Sasuke still didn't continue walking, Naruto put his hand on his shoulder, silently encouraging him that it really would be okay. Making eye contact with him, Sasuke sighed and walked towards the village.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura ventured, "are you nervous?"

Naruto saw Sasuke begin to give Sakura an incredulous look but then look away, begin to nod, and then just shrug.

"Hey, Sasuke, you don't have to keep up appearances around us. We know how lame you are so you don't always have to try to act cool." His joke only came out half-hearted.

"Fine," Sasuke admitted. "I don't know. But there's no use thinking about it. What will happen will happen."

He wanted to tell Sasuke that wasn't true, but his friend had increased his pace, so, shaking his head, he went to catch up.

* * *

Sasuke was glad most people still hadn't returned to the village, shinobi and civilians alike. He was pretty sure outside his small circle of people he considered friends, his return would not be welcome. He wasn't really worried about what Tsunade would do to him. He had figured the punishment would be light, but if that turned out to not be the case, he could always use a teleportation jutsu out of her office and leave again. He hoped he wouldn't have to, though. The journey back had been mostly made in silence, but the words they did share had made him look forward to making things right this time. He was glad he was returning with Naruto and Sakura instead of on his own like he, more often than he would like to admit, had imagined. Being with them again reminded him why he dreamt about them for months after he left and even in their silence, they encouraged him in a way he hadn't been encouraged since he last saw Itachi.

They made their way through the town and eventually up the stairs of the tower. They passed a girl going down the stairs who rang a bell in Sasuke's mind. She looked like that Hinata girl who even he could tell had liked his best friend back when they were genin. Judging by the way she smiled softly and waved at him, she still did. What surprised him was, while Naruto had been oblivious before, he now waved back with an almost shy smile on his face. Sasuke mentally gaped, only allowing a little of his reaction to appear on his face. How much had changed since he had been gone?

"Naruto. What was that?"

"Shut up, teme," Naruto replied, not looking at him.

Sasuke looked at Sakura to see if she knew anything, but she was staring ahead with a distant look in her eyes. He realized she probably hadn't even noticed the exchange, but wondered what she was thinking about. He would have to ask her later if she knew what was going on.

When they reached the Hokage's office, Sasuke wasn't very surprised to see a sheet of paper with the words "If you don't have an appointment, make one and come back later." posted to the door. With the war over, Tsunade was probably swamped with work. He knew an appointment would be nice, but him being here was probably something she should know about.

Sakura was the one who knocked.

"It's probably best if I go in first, apprentice and all."

"You don't have an appointment!" The voice from inside the room was shouting. "Read the sign and come back later! I'm busy!"

"Um, Tsunade-shishou, it's me. Sakura."

Sasuke liked how she said her name that time. Short and sweet. When did he start noticing these things? Maybe Naruto wasn't the only one who had changed.

Footsteps approached the door as the hokage asked, "What is it, Sakura?"

Opening the door had her question answered. "Uchiha Sasuke. Hm, I can't say I would've been surprised either way. Come in. I don't have a lot of time, but we can discuss the basics now."

She took a seat behind her desk and Sakura and Naruto stood on either side of Sasuke. He was grateful they were with him.

"The consequences for being a missing nin are very serious," she began. "Normally, if one was captured, they would be either killed or imprisoned, depending on their actions since leaving the village. You, however, chose to return, I presume, and intend on staying. You also are a hero of war, helping the Shinobi Alliance –greatly, might I add – in the Fourth Ninja World War. I will have to talk to the council, and you most likely will have a trial, but I think it is best to assume that your sentence will come off pretty lightly if your attitude is good."

Sasuke nodded as he felt Sakura relax with a sigh and Naruto grin at him. He hated that his fate lay partly in the council's hands, but if what Tsunade said ended up being the case, maybe returning would be manageable.

"Sasuke, would you want to stay at your house?"

His head whipped up to look at her, eyes slightly wider than they had been seconds ago. He couldn't go back. It had been so many years, but even now that he knew the truth, he couldn't be alone there. It would be too painful. A shiver ran down his spine as he shook his head slowly at her.

"Not yet," he explained, finally finding his voice.

"Well then. I'd feel better anyway having you under the direct supervision of either Sakura or Naruto until we meet again. With the war having just ended, you are not our top priority so we will have to find something to do with you for the next few days until I have more time. Sakura, I trust you more, so honestly, I think you will have to watch over both of your teammates until Sasuke is cleared."

"No problem, Shishou," Sakura responded with a light smile.

There was a knock on the door, signaling the end of their talk.

"Alright, Sasuke, I will notify you when we can talk next. I suggest you do your best to lie low until then. Sakura, Naruto, I'm glad you're safe and back in Konoha. I'll see you later."

The three of them muttered their thanks and walked out of the room.

Sasuke said nothing as they walked down the stairs. All he could do was wait now. A part of him was glad, though, that he had to be with one of his teammates at all times. He wasn't so sure he wanted to be left alone.

"You can stay at my house tonight."

He looked up at Naruto and nodded in thanks.

"And, Naruto, I know you'd love to celebrate with some Ichiraku," Sakura added, "but I think it would be best if Sasuke-kun stayed indoors as much as possible until he's publicly cleared."

Naruto looked sad, but seemed to agree.

Naruto's stomach growled, instigated by their talk of his favorite restaurant. "Still, I think we should get something to eat!"

"Naruto, do you even have food at your house?"

"GAH! Well, no, not really. It's been a while since I've been to the market."

Sakura sighed. "Well, we can go to my place, then."

"Yes! Sakura-chan's cooking is so delicious!" Naruto folded his arms behind his head, closed his eyes, and smiled. To Sasuke, Naruto looked like he didn't have a problem in the world. As he turned to follow his teammates, he realized he was pretty hungry, too. If Naruto thought Sakura cooked well, he could probably afford to look forward to their early dinner, too.

* * *

Sakura was aware that Sasuke had never been to her place, while Naruto had been over countless times. She hoped she had left it neat, hardly remembering the last time she had been at home. On their walk over, she had thought about the food she probably had in her fridge and pantry that was still good and decided to stick with rice and soup for dinner.

Sakura unlocked her door and the boys followed her in. Her apartment wasn't big, but it was still generous. It opened up to a small living room with a kitchen to the right and through a door to the left was her bedroom.

"You can leave your shoes by the door, Sasuke-kun. Naruto, entertain him without sparring in my living room while I make something for us to eat."

Sasuke didn't like that Naruto seemed so comfortable here that Sakura was basically making him co-host. It made him realize how close the two of them had gotten since he left and truly made him sad, seeing what the bonds he had cut could have been.

Sakura noticed that Naruto sat at her table and watched her activity in the kitchen, Sasuke following his lead. While Sasuke was part of Team Seven, and Team Seven was family, Sakura still felt vaguely self-conscious around him. It made her think that she should've put her apron in the wash after the last time she had used it and hope that she had washed the glasses well enough. But what did all that matter anymore? Sasuke was home. Their family was complete. She and Naruto had been dreaming of this for years, for so long, working constantly, all day and every day, for this. For him. Who cared what he thought about her apartment? This was their first meal together aside from hospital food and fish they had eaten on their way back. This was something to celebrate so she would put her heart into it, no matter how simple it was.

As she turned on the tap to fill the pot with water, she heard Naruto begin to talk. He was talking softly for a change, and looking over her shoulder, she saw the far-away look in his eyes. She wondered what he was talking about. Sasuke's eyes turned soft when Naruto spoke, actually listening and seeming like he was enjoying listening to and being there with Naruto. It made Sakura so happy, she felt filled with the emotion and only came back to reality when the pot overflowed. She mentally reprimanded herself. She had told herself she would put her heart into this meal, but she quickly realized that if she didn't stay focused, she would be serving Sasuke and Naruto burnt food.

"What kind of soup do you guys want?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Miso!"

"Tomato."

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun," she began as she walked over to set the table, "I don't think I have any tomatoes. I guess it's miso tonight."

Naruto grinned slyly at his friend next to him who shrugged.

"Next time, okay? I'll make sure I keep stocked up on tomatoes now that you're back." Sakura smiled. Sasuke would be integrated into their everyday lives again. It was such a nice contrast that she thought she and Naruto might go into overload. She also thought she wouldn't mind.

Both guests said the food was good and though Sakura and Naruto did most of the talking, Sasuke commented here and there. Their history together over the past several years had been so broken that, in Sakura's opinion, the dinner could not have gone better.

* * *

_Sakura-chan's cooking is delicious as usual_, Naruto concluded as he swallowed some of the rice in his mouth. He was ecstatic. Sasuke, _Sasuke_, was sitting next to him, in Sakura's apartment, eating dinner with them. They really felt like a family. Just like most families were apart during the day but came home to eat dinner together, his family had been apart – albeit for a few years – but now they were all home together and sharing a meal. He wished he could've had meals like this with his mom and dad growing up. Maybe he would've had a little brother or a sister eating next to him, too. It was a little sad to think about, but now he had Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi-sensei, too. He had lost his original family before he even knew them, so that made him more determined than ever to keep the family he had now. That was part of the reason he did all that he could to bring Sasuke back. Sasuke was so special, so irreplaceable. He could tell by the way Sasuke's expression changed when they talked now that Sasuke probably felt his old bonds being rethreaded. Naruto knew that they weren't perfect, not yet. That would take time.

Of all the times the three of them talked on the way home, they hardly mentioned Sasuke's time away and never the time they had met on a bridge in the Land of Iron. Even now, Naruto kept to the safe topics of what had changed in Konoha and what things had been like before. He could tell Sakura was, too.

"Mmm, Sakura-chan? Do you have any more soup?"

"Sure!" Sakura replied, grabbing his bowl as Sasuke mumbled a "That was fast."

Yes, everything was just right.

They had been finished for a while, now just sitting and talking contentedly, when Sasuke excused himself to use the restroom.

"Yeah, just through that door," Sakura pointed.

When he was gone from the table, Naruto looked at his bowl and his expression turned to a more sober form of happiness.

"Naruto?"

He looked at her green eyes. "Sakura-chan. I can hardly believe that I finally get to say it: we brought him home together. Just like we had always promised each other we would. Just like we promised ourselves we would. Like we promised him we would." His smile grew. "He's finally home. He's here with us, to stay. Our family is complete." He wanted to keep going, but his voice cracked at the end. He kept looking at green eyes as they turned glassy.

"I know, Naruto." She said as she reached across the table and put her had onto of his. "I know." Her voice cracked, too.

Their gazes returned to the table, both smilling softly to themselves, trying but failing to accept the full gravity of the situation. They both had kept complete faith in Sasuke and his return, but it still had an air of too-good-to-be-true to it.

With Sasuke back at the table, Sakura made some tea and they continued to talk until a recovering Konoha was covered in the dark of the night.

Naruto yawned. "Ah, sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm getting tired and I guess Sasuke and I should get going." He felt a bit sad to leave, but glad, too. They didn't have to worry about leaving for the night because they would see each other in the morning.

Sakura walked them to the door and said goodnight. They walked to Naruto's apartment in silence, content at breathing in the refreshing night air and enjoying each other's company.

Looking to his side, Naruto could tell Sasuke still felt a little uncomfortable being back. That would take time and a trial to get over. But he was comfortable with them and that made everything alright.

"Hey, dobe." Sasuke paused, as if not sure he wanted to continue.

"Yeah, teme?"

"Give me some of the credit for coming back, too." Sasuke looked over at his confused face before continuing. "It wasn't just that you and Sakura brought me home, whether or not you guys are the reason I'm here."

It hit Naruto. "Gah! You heard us while you were out of the kitchen?!" Sasuke just smirked to confirm the fact. Naruto looked at him for a bit before grinning and putting his arms behind his head. "Eh, that's fine. Because it's true. We're so glad you're back. I just can't explain it well enough with words." His smile faltered as he remembered how he had said something similar to not being able to convey himself with words to Sasuke in the Land of Iron.

If Sasuke made the connection, too, he didn't show it.

Once in his apartment, Naruto offered his bed to his friend who just shrugged and asked, "Are you sure?"

Naruto wondered if Sasuke knew this was the least he could do. Both of them were tired so as Naruto unpacked his bed roll on the floor, Sasuke slid under the covers, deciding that since he showered at the hospital, another one could wait until the morning.

On the verge of sleep, Naruto spoke. "Goodnight, Sasuke."

He waited for a reply, but knowing his friend, wasn't worried when nothing came. For all he knew, Sasuke may have already been asleep.

Naruto wasn't sure if it was a dream or if he hadn't yet fallen asleep, but he thought he heard a perfectly awake Sasuke whisper, "I'm really glad I'm home, too."

* * *

**a/n: **The mission will come soon! I promise all this background is necessary.

Reviews are super motivating and very appreciated :)


	3. Go Fish

When Sasuke woke up, he thought he was in heaven. Despite the fact that whatever he was wrapped in smelled faintly of ramen, it was very soft, and there was a light glow all around him. _How would I be in heaven after all I've done?_ Sasuke opened his eyes and realized he was still in Naruto's bed. He didn't want to move yet, but groggily he picked his head up off of the pillow and saw that Naruto was still asleep on the floor, limbs sprawled everywhere just like Sasuke remembered he slept. Next, his eyes searched the room for a clock and discovered it was shortly after noon. His eyes widened, not remembering a time he had ever come close to sleep this much, but suddenly didn't care. His head flopped back onto the pillow and, while he didn't fall back asleep, he rested and thought.

Dinner at Sakura's last night had been nice. Really nice. It was something he could get used to. He stopped himself. Wow, he was getting soft. But honestly, what reason did he have anymore to be as callous as he had been? Other than his Uchiha pride, he didn't really have a reason not to be soft. Of course, being a ninja, Sasuke knew that a certain amount of harshness was necessary and helpful, but he did think that maybe he could soften up a little around his teammates. He didn't think he really wanted to soften up around anyone else so he wasn't going to push himself to. Thinking back to how he used to be around his mother, his father, and Itachi, Sasuke noticed there were some of his actions and attitudes that reappeared only when he was around Team Seven. Team Seven would never replace his family, but it made Sasuke feel almost happy to think that they would bring back the happy part of him. It made him feel like there was hope for him and his happiness.

He was still full from eating so much at Sakura's. The soup had been good and the rice, delicious. If he had a say in it, they would eat at Sakura's instead of Ichiraku every time they wanted to celebrate something.

A part of Sasuke's resolve to be softer with his teammates went out the window when he was taken from his thoughts by a ninja sandal hitting him on the head. He whipped his head around and glared hard at the blond hair visible behind a bed roll being used as a shield. Looking around for something to throw back and finding nothing better, Sasuke threw his pillow as hard as he could, knocking Naruto – shield and all – back into the wall with a _thunk_. After muttering an "Ow," Naruto threw his bedroll at him. Sasuke didn't feel like retaliating this time, though, and just shoved it off, slumping back into the sheets.

Naruto sighed and slid down the wall until he sat on the floor. Sasuke could feel eyes on his back. He wondered what Naruto was thinking about.

"Mind if I use your shower?"

"Yeah, sure. It's right through the door," Naruto replied, gesturing to a door next to him. "I'll make us something to eat in the meantime."

"Thanks." Sasuke slid off the bed and walked across the room, wondering how many days he would stay here. He had nowhere else to go, so it would either be here or Sakura's.

Stepping into the shower, Sasuke relished the feeling of the hot water covering his body. As he thought that he couldn't remember the last time he had taken a real shower in a friendly place, he noticed he was making a lot of connections that began with _I can't remember the last time that I . . . _He knew everything he had done the last few years had been necessary, maybe not everything – almost killing his best friends certainly wasn't – but there were some perks to being among civilization again.

Last night he had stayed up a little in bed, despite how tired he had been, thinking about how different things were now than they were when he had left this village. How different he was now than when he had left this village. Everything he knew about his family and revenge was practically reversed now. If someone had described his current state to the Sasuke four years ago, or even a few months ago, there was no way he would've believed things would end up like this. What if he had known the truth from the start? What if he always knew that Itachi loved him? What if he never had to leave Konoha to seek revenge? This wasn't the first time he asked himself these questions, but he knew this was the path he walked. He had taken the long way, but given the same information he had at the time, Sasuke knew he probably would've gone in search of Orochimaru again. There was no more point in wanting to change his past actions, as much as he wanted to change his family's past. Just like then he believed all he could do to set things right was to kill his brother – his heart still dropped into his stomach every time he thought about it – now he believed all he could do to set things right was to focus on his future.

Done with his shower, as Sasuke pulled his shirt back over his head, he smirked lightly at the state of the bathroom he was standing in. Two out of three of the light bulbs were burned out and there were toothpaste smears on the counter. He accepted that their personalities were different, but he would have to work on Naruto's neatness.

He wasn't surprised to walk out of the bathroom and smell ramen. Actually, it had been so long since he had eaten ramen for breakfast with Naruto and it felt so right that he didn't mind.

"You need to keep your bathroom in better order," Sasuke commented lightly as he sat himself on the floor across the table from Naruto, a cup of steaming instant ramen in front of him.

"Hee hee," Naruto laughed as he shrugged. "It's just you. I always make sure it looks nice before Sakura-chan comes here. _You_ aren't going to hit me for it."

"Aa."

They paused before saying "Itadakimasu" in unison and then silently ate their breakfast.

As expected, his friend was the first one to break the silence. "What do you feel like doing today? I know we don't have a lot of options, but . . . there's gotta be something we can do."

What _would _he like to do today? This was the start of a new phase in his life if he was asking himself that question. It had always been train every day; get closer to avenging his family every day. He never did "what he felt like doing". Again, it was something he couldn't remember the last time he had done. Truly, he was enjoying just being with his teammates lately, even if they weren't doing anything in particular. A lot of their bonds were healing this way, thread by thread, from just spending time together, even though some of the more sensitive issues were like nasty cuts that had been gingerly stitched over, the skin underneath not healing yet. Sasuke wondered when it would be alright to start healing those, too, or if they would just heal on their own. He figured it would take some work on their parts.

That still didn't give him an answer for what he wanted to do today.

Naruto spoke up. "Yeah, I can't think of anything to do either. Tsunade baa-chan needs to hurry and get you cleared already!"

Sasuke saw a deck of cards lying on the floor and leaned over to pick them up. He held them out to Naruto, raising an eyebrow in question.

Their game of Go Fish, which included more than a few muttered insults thrown in for old time's sake, ended when there was a knock on Naruto's door.

"Good afternoon, Naruto, Sasuke-kun."

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Heh, I'm glad you're here. I can't keep playing Go Fish for a week straight. Sasuke and I are getting really bored," he finished with a glance to Sasuke.

Sasuke noticed Sakura was carrying plastic bags. "What's with the bags?"

"Well, last night Naruto mentioned he didn't really have food, and seeing as he can't really leave with you here, I went shopping." Slipping off her shoes, she proceeded to walk around Naruto's kitchen, stowing items where they belonged without any hesitation. Again, Sasuke was reminded of how much his bonds had been stunted by his defection. Sakura turned to them. "Did you guys have lunch yet?"

"Um, we just ate breakfast, Sakura-chan."

Sakura looked shocked and as if she was on the verge of reprimanding them, when her face softened, probably realizing it was good for them, or at least him, to sleep in for once. She sat herself down cross-legged at the table with one more bag at her side.

"I also figured you would be bored, so I brought some stuff. I really don't know what you feel like doing but I have some puzzles and a few other games we could play," she began pulling boxes out of the bag as she named them. "I know it's not much, but . . ."

It was Naruto who cut her off. "You. Me. Him. Whoever can finish a 1000 piece puzzle first wins." He glanced at his two teammates, eyes flickering between them in excitement.

Sasuke didn't really like the idea, but they had nothing but time to kill, so he glanced over at Sakura who shrugged. Sasuke reached out his hand for a box with a scenic picture on the top and faced away from his teammates, dumping the contents of the box on the ground to his side.

"Hey, no fair! Just because we're doing this for you doesn't mean you get a head start!" Naruto grabbed a box and shoved some of the things on his apartment floor aside to make room as Sakura began filtering through the pieces of her own box next to him.

It wasn't that Sasuke was feeling competitive, but he did think it would be nice to win. He hadn't done a puzzle since he was probably six and didn't really have any strategy to go about completing one efficiently. Well, now was as good a time as ever to develop one. This was probably the longest time the trio had ever been silent, each one focused on lining up sides of cardboard, not even wasting focus on muttering in frustration.

Sasuke finished his first.

* * *

The next three days continued in a similar fashion, Naruto waking up to someone else in his room – a sight that made him incredibly warm inside, but an opportunity he rarely wasted as almost each morning began with a pillow fight of sorts – him and Sasuke having breakfast together, Sakura joining them for lunch or shortly after, the three of them occupying themselves in some way or another, then walking over to Sakura's where she would cook them dinner and they would sit around her table talking for hours, and finally him walking home with Sasuke in the dark before falling asleep.

Naruto would sulk from time to time whenever he remembered he was the only person who hadn't won a puzzle race yet. Sakura had won the next two days in a row, but on the third day she decided they would bake. He could tell Sasuke wasn't very happy about that, seeing as he still didn't like sweets, but Sakura just apologized and they had actually all had a good time. Sakura seemed just as full of a glowing happiness as he was when they were with Sasuke. He could tell in the way she looked at him, in the way her voice would sound when she was talking to him but looking at something else. He could tell in the little ways she set his plate in front of him or wished him a goodnight that she was still as in love with Sasuke as when she confessed her feeling to him, Naruto, in the snow.

He knew it would always be like this. He accepted it in a way, and, after all they had been through, he loved her far more than he ever had, but the romantic twist to it all was diminishing. In fact, it was almost gone and he was okay with that. He knew Sakura was just as precious to him as Sasuke was, but if they weren't meant to be, then he wasn't going to cry about it. If there was someone else he was supposed to love then he would fall in love with them in time. He was confident everything would work out in the end just like it was supposed to. It had so far, hadn't it?

On the fifth day since Sasuke's return, while the two of them were having breakfast, a messenger hawk arrived at the window. Putting his chopsticks down, Naruto walked over to the window, opened it, and untied the scrap of paper from the hawk's leg. He read it to himself as his friend stayed silent.

"It's from the Hokage. She wants to see us at one. She says she's talked to the elders and is ready to talk to us about what they have decided so far." As Sasuke held out his hand, non-verbally asking to read it for himself, Naruto handed it over before sitting back at the table. He didn't resume eating, though. It wasn't that he was nervous; he was sure Sasuke would be cleared of any, or at least the worst, charges against him. But there was still some unconscious uneasiness inside him, churning in his gut and making him lose the majority of his appetite. He didn't think he would be able to handle it if anything happened to Sasuke. Not after all he and Sakura had done to get him back. He knew Tsunade and the council had come to some sort of consensus, but if Naruto didn't like it, there was no way he would let it go without a fight.

He watched Sasuke's face for any change in expression as he laid the note on the table between the two of them. There was none. "What are you thinking?"

Sasuke paused a few minutes, staring at his ramen, before meeting his eyes and answering. "I don't really know. I get the feeling that this is just a formality and that I should be fine." He paused. Naruto nodded. "To be sure, though, we'll just have to wait." He then continued eating his breakfast, which made Naruto feel a little more comfortable with finishing his. If Sasuke could eat when his life was the one possibly about to be ruined, Naruto could keep the food down, too.

They finished their breakfast in silence, both thinking about the meeting they would be having in less than four hours. Not ten minutes later, a knock at the door was heard.

It was Sakura. She was earlier than usual and did not say her customary "Good morning, Naruto, Sasuke-kun." She looked anxious and walked in without looking at Naruto who stood holding the door open. She just sat down at the table and fidgeted, looking at Sasuke, then to him, then stared at Sasuke for a little longer, then looked back to him, and then her eyes found the note on the table.

"I got one, too," was all she said to explain her actions. Naruto saw his teammates' eyes meet before Sakura looked over to him again. He returned to his seat at the table, not knowing what to do. For once he did not know how to make the situation lighter. The last four days, they knew that this was what they were waiting for, some sort of decision about the return of a nuke-nin, but actually having the note, actually knowing the seconds were counting down to a set time, had them all suddenly thinking more pessimistically, more seriously, about the issue at hand.

He didn't know exactly how long they sat around the table not speaking, Sasuke staring blankly at the wall in front of him, Sakura staring at her hands in her lap, and him with his arms crossed on the table, chin resting on them, eyes staring off to the side.

Sasuke was the first to move. He stood, and cleared the table of the note and their trash from breakfast. Naruto and Sakura's eyes following him, he picked up the deck of cards off the floor, and began dealing twenty-one cards, seven to each person. After placing the excess cards in the middle of the table he looked through the seven in his hand, putting aside two pairs of two. Naruto and Sakura still hadn't moved.

"Got any Queens?"

Naruto took his eyes off his friend to look at Sakura, who returned his gaze. He had to admire Sasuke in a way for trying to keep things normal by playing a children's card game. He picked up his cards with a soft smile and, searching through them, noticed he had no pairs or Queens.

"Go fish."

Sakura, it seemed, had one pair, but no Queens.

"Go fish for me, too."

Sasuke picked a card from the deck before laying it on the table next to him and placing one of the cards in his hand on top of it. Naruto couldn't believe that after one move Sasuke only had two out of seven cards left. Before making his turn, Naruto thought that if Sasuke's luck kept up today, maybe everything would work out.

* * *

Playing so many rounds of Go Fish made her feel numb. It had become extremely boring after the fourteenth round or so, but Sasuke kept gathering up the cards, reshuffling the deck, and then dealing twenty-one cards out. Sakura or Naruto didn't complain though. She knew the three of them had some kind of outrageous understanding that if they stopped playing they would begin to doubt again. So they passed the hours painfully slowly, matching numbers and aces like each pair made would be one step closer to keeping Sasuke from harm.

Sakura had been doing laundry that morning when the messenger hawk arrived. She knew what it was for as soon as she saw the animal there, but read the note over once, and then again. She knew everything would be fine. Honestly, there wasn't much they could do to a hero. Besides leaving, he hadn't really even done anything to hurt Konoha during his time away. But still, she needed to see him, to reassure herself in a way she couldn't explain fully. So she left half a basket of clean clothes on the floor, the other half already folded on the table, and walked out of her apartment. She met Ino and Chouji on her way, who were walking to the hospital to pick up Shikamaru, who was due to be discharged at ten. She explained that she would love to talk, and that they would later, but she was in a hurry to see Naruto. She didn't mention why and she didn't mention that Sasuke was back. Maybe they already knew, but Sakura didn't want to talk about it now.

Sakura knew Sasuke would look fine when she walked in, but she wondered what he was thinking, how he was feeling. She knew how she felt, which meant she had a decent idea of how Naruto felt, but with Sasuke no one really ever knew. And more than anyone, he was the one who had a right to feel nervous, if not scared. But this was Sasuke, the Sasuke who had seen it all. What was there left to be scared of? He had given up as much for his ambition of revenge as she and Naruto had for their ambition of bringing him back. He had already lost everything, so before he started reforming the bonds with her and Naruto, all he had left was his life. But now that he had bonds again, two at the very least, did that make his life more valuable than when it had been the only thing he had left, or less valuable?

Ever so slowly, twelve o'clock rolled around and she forced her teammates to eat something, forcing herself as well. None of them were hungry and they all knew it, but she told them that not eating would help nothing. They ate in silence before heading out Naruto's apartment door and walking to the Hokage Tower. Sakura mused that, when this was all over, they would reflect upon how much they were overreacting, that they would smile in light of their relief. But the smallest of chances that things would not go perfectly alright was such an exaggerated threat to all that they had worked for together that it was dominating their minds. Sasuke was something she would not allow to be taken from their team. Not again.

If the time she spent at Naruto's apartment playing Go Fish seemed to last a week, the walk to the tower was a mere five minutes in comparison. They didn't walk side by side. Naruto led in front and she took up the rear, Sasuke walking between them as if they were his bodyguards, daring anyone to just touch him, just try to take him away from them.

They were early so they had to wait outside the door, but instead of sitting they chose to stand. How could they be comfortable at a time like this? Soon enough, one o'clock rolled around and Shizune let them in.

They stood side by side this time, but Sasuke was still in the middle.

Tsunade spoke. "Good afternoon, Sakrua, Naruto, Sasuke. Thank you for coming today. I will begin on the subject I called you here to discuss when the fourth member of your team arrives."

Sakura looked questioningly at her shishou. Could she mean Kakashi? If that was the case, they would probably have to wait another three agonizing hours or so. However, they only waited for just over two minutes before a subtle "Yo" broke the silence.

His three former students nodded at him as he walked in, glad to see him well and out of the hospital, but not feeling quite well enough to find their voices.

"Alright. Sasuke, I am speaking to you, but I figured your old team would appreciate being here. So, as long as you don't mind, I will explain the situation to the four of you." The Hokage waited for his response.

"It's fine." Sakura noticed Sasuke's voice lacked its usual smoothness.

"Uchiha Sasuke, the last time we spoke I explained to you both the typical consequences of abandoning your village and how your situation is not typical. I discussed these matters with the elders, who, as I'm sure you can imagine, were not very pleased when I tried to lighten your sentence. I see no reason in making you serve prison time, let alone be executed, after your help in the war and your change in attitude upon your willing return. The elders, however, point out what harm you are capable of and what anger and distrust you display a pattern of. While they agreed your execution is out of the question, they do not want you to be let off without some sort of punishment that will put you in your place."

Sakura sensed a collective sigh of relief being released when Sasuke's life was announced to no longer be in danger, but they continued to pay attention, hanging onto every word.

"Sasuke, from the little I have interacted with you, I don't have a very strong liking to your character. Still, you mean a great deal to those who mean a lot to me and I know how important it is to them that you are cleared of as much as possible today. And although I don't particularly trust you, I trust them and they trust you, so I feel relatively safe in arguing for your life.

"After further arguing with the elders, we came to agree that any community service we would have you do has been mostly covered by your effort in defeating Madara. We know, however, that you value your freedom and seclusion. Putting you under house arrest would further your seclusion and use shinobi whose time we cannot waste to have you guarded. To conclude, you, Uchiha Sasuke, must work off 200 hours of community service through either missions or volunteer work. You must also be in the constant presence of a shinobi I deem capable for one month. From my understanding, you would be most comfortable with your old team, so I will go further to say that you must be with Sakura, Naruto, or Kakashi at all times effective immediately.

"You may be curious as to why I explained you could work off community service through missions when you should technically be stripped of your position as a ninja. However, you are far too valuable to this village to throw away and I believe we would all go insane trying to keep you here in the village with nothing else to do. Solo missions are out of the question until you have been deemed trustworthy and any missions you are assigned within one month from now will have Sakura, Naruto, or Kakashi on your team. Do you have any questions?"

No one said anything for a few moments, taking it all in. It was just about all they could have wished for. Finally, Sasuke shook his head.

"Do the three of you have any questions?" Kakashi shook his head first, followed by Sakura, and then Naruto.

"Well then, I will leave it up to the four of you to decide who stays with Sasuke when and if you do have any questions about the arrangement later, please stop by and ask."

They turned to leave before Tsunade spoke out again, stopping them from walking away.

"Ah, yes. I meant to mention one more thing. Naruto, I want you to report to my office at nine every morning. There is still a lot of chaos going around from the end of the war and any sane person with hopes of one day becoming Hokage needs to understand, not simply how to be strong, but also how a village is run."

Sakura's eyes went wide, as did Naruto's. She felt as if she could burst with pride for her teammate, knowing the Hokage herself was acknowledging his dream and even taking him under her wing to help him.

"Do you really mean it, baa-chan?! Thank you so much! You can count on me," Naruto responded with a genuine, eager smile.

"I'm just doing what's best for the village. You four are dismissed. Thank you for your time and I trust you will enjoy the rest of your day." Tsunade smiled warmly.

Once they were out of the room, they all stopped and looked at Sasuke, waiting for him to say something, anything. Tired of waiting, Naruto pulled him into a hug, laughing.

"Today couldn't have gone better! Hey, I know how to celebrate! Time for some Ichira-"

"Sakura's cooking tastes better," Sasuke stated as Naruto's arms fell from around him.

Between the events that had just unfolded and Sasuke's comment, Sakura couldn't have been happier and her face showed it. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun. I'd love to host the celebration dinner!" Turning to their old sensei, she asked, "Would you be able to come, too, Kakashi-sensei?"

He smiled, though the action was mostly hidden behind his mask. "I'm still tired, so I can't stay too late, but I would love to join you."

"Ah, it's settled then!"

As they began the walk back to Sakura's, the most eventful occurrences being the stares Sasuke got from the villagers and wandering shinobi, her mind strayed to the scene around her. Sasuke was alright. He would stay with them. This would be a fairly easy sentence to get through and since he had to get through it with them as his constant companions, they could continue working on strengthening their bonds. As the afternoon sun beat on their backs, just a single cloud in the sky, Sakura hoped that, now with vengeance gone from Sasuke's agenda, the old Team Seven could become closer than ever. She loved her boys and now they had another chance to make everything perfect.

* * *

**a/n: **The mission should make its appearance next chapter! Thank you so much for the support so far and, as always, reviews are extremely motivating and lovely!


	4. Decorations and a Cake

**a/n:** So, I lied. The mission isn't in this chapter. It could've been but I've been busy with Christmas just around the corner so I haven't been able to write as often. I wanted to expand on some of the things that happened in the chapter so it was either write a long chapter that included the mission breifing but took longer to update, or update now with a shorter chapter (even though it's still normal length). I figured you would all rather an update. So here you go and Merry Christmas!

* * *

When they arrived at Sakura's apartment, Kakashi noticed laundry on Sakura's table. _Knowing Sakura, she must've been in a hurry to leave if she left something undone._ It was his third or fourth time at Sakura's, having already been there for dinner with Naruto on a couple of occasions. They were team dinners, usually after returning from a mission late in the evening and not wanting to pay Naruto's ramen bill. But this was the first time Sasuke was with them. This was a special time, indeed.

"Sasuke-kun, what would you like to eat for your celebration meal?"

Sasuke took a few moments to think before answering with the smallest raise of a corner of his mouth, "Tomato soup. You promised."

Kakashi watched as Sakura laughed a quick "alright" before heading to the fridge. He sat himself down on the couch, but to his surprise, both Naruto and Sasuke followed Sakura into the kitchen area and sat by the table, watching her prepare their dinner. They did it in a way that seemed like this was routine and he thought that something must be going well if they were content just being together like this. It made him smile proudly. The last week or so had been really hard on him. He still couldn't really handle Obito being alive after all this time, Obito trying to essentially erase the world, Obito finally coming back and spearing him with guilt for killing Rin, his best friend being someone he couldn't recognize. But then – he looked over to Naruto as he thought – Naruto had somehow brought his friend back, he changed Obito, and Kakashi had a little feeling in him that felt like needles pricking that made him so happy but so scared to lose this special person he had a chance at having back. And in the end, Obito didn't make it.

Kakashi was almost glad he had passed out from overuse of his eye, a part of his body that made him feel more emotions than it ever had before. He was grateful he had to spend a little time in the hospital recuperating before he had to face the facts. It had been so very hard.

He looked over at Sakura who had turned around to laugh at something one of the boys said. He had lost both his teammates and then one of his students. But Sasuke was back. His two teammates had died, but how he felt then must've been different from what Naruto and Sakura must have felt – Sasuke still being alive, but making horrible decisions. Decisions that pushed Sakura to consider, and attempt, killing him, the one she loved. He watched Sasuke watch her dice his favorite food. He wondered how their relationships were doing, although it seemed as if them being together was something each of them truly wanted, if the scene in front of him was anything to go by. He hoped they stayed together, that they wouldn't have to know the pain of losing a teammate for good, much less by one of their hands.

Kakashi figured they would have to face the times they had tried to kill Sasuke and he had tried to kill them, but when that day would come, he didn't know.

Today, though, they would enjoy. None of them cared what was going on in the rest of the world for a few hours. None of them noticed that just after two was too early to eat dinner. None of them wanted to be apart anymore.

When dinner was ready, they each took a side of the table. Sakura was at the side closest to the rest of the kitchen so she could serve easier, Naruto and him were on either side of her, and Sasuke sat across the table from Sakura. Kakashi didn't really care for tomatoes, but this was for Sasuke, celebrating Sasuke, so he would eat the soup without complaint. They spent the first few minutes eating in silence and Kakashi thought the rice with curry was fantastic. None of his three students seemed bothered by the silence, which made him further ponder the progress their relationships had undergone in so short a time.

"So Sakura-chan, I guess this means I'm taking over as the Hokage's apprentice," Naruto jested.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh, please." Then a pause, and a serious "I'm so happy for you, Naruto."

Kakashi watched him put down his chopsticks then place both hands in his lap. "All in one day I get my dream acknowledged, my best friend saved, and my team eating dinner together." He stopped with his mouth still open, as though his thought was unfinished but he didn't know how to say more.

"Can't ask for much more." It was Sasuke who spoke and he must have really changed because Kakashi couldn't remember a time he would have expected words like those to come from Sasuke's mouth. Perhaps time was a healer.

His fatigue growing, his eye cramping, and his meal devoured, he excused himself from the table.

"But Kakashi-sensei, you haven't said anything since we got here!" Naruto pointed out, complaining.

"Ah, but Naruto, I've had a lot to think about, watching you three. I'm sure the three of you have had a lot to think about the last couple of days, too. But I still haven't recovered fully and, thankfully, there's no need to rush things now." He smiled. "We can see each other whenever now. Thank you for the food, Sakura. It was delicious. Sasuke," he placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm glad you decided to come back. I'm very proud of you and am relieved to hear your sentence. I know it'll be rough at first, but enjoy your time back."

He stood, cleared his plate, and on his way out the door, he thought to tell Sakura and Naruto that he could babysit Sasuke if they were both busy. However, he decided against it, reasoning that the three of them needed as much time together as possible.

* * *

Naruto knew Sasuke wouldn't be cleared completely and that this scenario was just about the best case they could have expected. But just knowing that Sasuke's life was no longer on the line, that Naruto didn't have to fear for his brother as much anymore, had him tearing up back in the Hokage Tower.

And to top the cake, Tsunade was going to have him watch her clear up the chaos from the war. As firmly as he believed he would become Hokage, somehow Tsunade's words had his mind going crazy. After the war, him becoming Hokage wasn't as much about him proving himself to the villagers. He _had _proved himself and he had their attention. That didn't lessen his desire to fulfill his dream, though. It was still just as much of a passion that raged through him as having Sasuke brought home and felt just as right. It just made sense that after all he dreamed and after all he had done to accomplish it, that he actually follow through with his dream.

Sakura's food was amazing as usual and simply further served to brighten his mood. He didn't bother talking for most of the meal, save a few comments, because he didn't know how to put what he was feeling through his mouth, so he didn't try. A part of him felt he didn't need to because he knew his teammates were feeling the same way.

After Kakashi left, Sakura stood from the table and reached into a cabinet, pulling out three tall glasses and then, from the fridge, a bottle of champagne. He looked over at Sasuke to find him watching Sakura as well. Naruto noticed Sasuke watched her now just about as much as he watched her. Smiling in his head, he thought how funny it was how things had changed.

She pulled out the cork in a very dignified manner, leaving out the traditional shaking and spraying during a celebration. Naruto couldn't imagine the mess that would leave. He and Sasuke thanked her as she poured and handed them each a glass.

Sakura lifted her glass to toast, "To Sasuke-kun begin back and safe and to Naruto one step closer to becoming Hokage. To our dreams coming true," she finished, the smallest of blushes on her face.

Sasuke stared at her, his eyes allowing for some warmth and gratitude as Naruto added, "And to Sakura-chan's curry being this delicious forever!" noticing her toast hadn't explicitly included something about herself.

"Kanpai," they all declared, clinking glasses together and taking their first sips.

His tone more questioning than the look on his face showed, Sasuke asked, "Do you always keep champagne in your fridge?"

"No, but I bought it earlier this week, just in case. I mean, we all really knew, I think," she explained. Naruto would've described the look in her eyes as determined, probably trying to replicate the thoughts she had felt during the last few days, as if her determination to keep Sasuke from harm was enough for it to become reality. "It just had to be said." They all understood; they had all felt the same way.

After his second sip of the fizzy drink and a few more minutes of quiet, Naruto sighed. "I don't think I can ever play Go Fish again without feeling anxious." Sakura laughed, the morning feeling so long ago.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, do you remember that weird juice we had at Tazuna-san's house back in the Land of Waves? This stuff tastes kinda like it."

"No it doesn't." Naruto's head turned to Sasuke who had spoken up and was glad his friend was participating in the conversation.

"Nah, you're wrong it totally did."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question, but just took another sip of the champagne.

They sat around reminiscing until Sakura changed the subject. "You know, we've been spending a lot of time inside lately. We should go to a park or maybe somewhere more secluded. Just anywhere outside." They agreed and shortly after began cleaning up.

They took to the roofs for Sasuke's sake, not wanting to run into too many people. Naruto was so happy Sasuke was back that he could have screamed it to the whole village, but he knew his teammate, as well as many of the villagers, wouldn't be too happy about that. They made their way to a small patch of forest right up against the wall surrounding the village that was usually deserted.

Once there, they simply sat in the trees enjoying being outside on the sunny afternoon. It seemed at one point that Sakura thought of something quite amazing, judging by the look on her face, but no matter how much Naruto pestered, she would not tell him what she had just thought of.

Turning to Sakura, he asked, "Sorry this doesn't give you much of an opportunity to sleep in, but can you be with Sasuke when I'm out with the Hokage? I can drop him off."

"Oh, It's no probl-" Sakura cut herself off. "Wait, um, tomorrow how about I meet at your place at eight thirty. No reason at all. Just because. Is that alright with you guys?" Her eyes looked between him and Sasuke.

_What's up with Sakura, seriously?_ But he just assumed he would find out soon enough and said, "That would be fine."

Naruto felt vaguely like Shikamaru watching the clouds, speaking every so often to wonder what work the Hokage would have for him or ask if Sasuke was actually asleep. As dusk settled, they said goodnight and he walked home with Sasuke. They looked inside the shops as they walked past, all lit and livening up now that the town was recovering.

Finally, he looked over at his friend to see if he knew anything. "Hey, any idea what's going on with Sakura?"

Sasuke grunted before kicking a rock out of his path. A few moments later, he muttered, "I never know." Naruto wondered why he sounded slightly upset about this before Sasuke continued, "and you never told me what's going on with you." The sight of black and purple together in the crowded streets reminded Sasuke of Naruto's behavior the first day they arrived.

Naruto, however, did not catch on. "What?"

Sasuke shrugged, "You seemed out of character when we ran into Hinata a few days ago. Then you told me to 'shut up' when I asked about it." He shrugged again as if to say "that's all".

Naruto's face scrunched in response. Was Sasuke implying he felt something about Hinata? What did he feel about her? He knew she had improved as a kunoichi since their genin days and he had considered her a friend. After the invasion of Pein, he felt his respect and admiration for her skyrocket, but did he _feel_ anything for her?

Naruto spent the rest of the evening quieter than usual, thinking about certain things. He felt that Sasuke understood and didn't mind his being quiet. They went to bed early, mentally drained from the day's happenings.

* * *

"Any idea when you'll be back?" Sakura stood in Naruto's apartment as he was about to leave.

He smiled. "Nope, do you mind?"

Sakura looked down. "Actually, if you're done before noon, could you find something else to do until then? I want lunch to be a surprise," she finished as she gently closed the door before he had a chance to reply.

Good, that was done. She whipped around and smiled at Sasuke, who simply waited for her to explain whatever was clearly going on.

"Naruto's birthday was during the war. We were so caught up in everything, we never did anything for it!" She watched as Sasuke's features softened and a corner of his mouth curled up. "I could use your help," she explained.

"Well, what would you like me to do? Put me to work." He took a small step forward, showing he was willing to help, for Naruto's sake.

Sakura was really glad Sasuke seemed willing. Half of her was expecting him to sulk about the preparations or flat out refuse to aid her in her quest. She knew how close he was with Naruto, though, so the other half of her was expecting him to help with something he wouldn't normally for his best friend.

"Well, I wasn't thinking anything too crazy. I just wanted to make a cake and while it's in the oven, we can decorate the apartment."

"Do you have everything we'll need? I doubt Naruto has anything here."

Sakura nodded and walked over to the counter before setting the baking materials on one side and streamers and packages of balloons on another side. She knew Sasuke was watching her as she climbed on the counter to reach the bowl and measuring cups.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, do you normally bake? Do you know any good cake recipes?"

"Cook more than bake," was his reply. A pause, then, "It's been a long time since I've had a reason to bake."

What was Sakura supposed to say to that? She wanted to reach out to Sasuke, to tell him it was alright. But she settled for a small smile of encouragement and held out a measuring cup. "We'll need two cups of flour for the chocolate cake."

* * *

Sasuke could tell Sakura was trying to encourage him a little, so he took the cup from her hand gently and started scooping flour from the bag into the bowl. Birthdays were to celebrate someone's existence, and though he and Naruto had pretty messed up childhoods, Sasuke thought that maybe now he had something to celebrate. He certainly was grateful for Naruto's friendship and could not imagine where he'd be without it. Team Seven was almost like a family to him now and he was grateful he would not have to be alone like in his academy days.

Naruto was like his brother in some ways. As he looked over to the girl across the counter from him who named what ingredients were needed next, Sasuke thought if Naruto was like a brother to him, then Sakura was like a sister. Right? But that wasn't the case. It never had been. He knew that. She had always been important to him, even back in their genin days when she had a tendency to be a bit annoying, but it wasn't like a sister. There was something different about how he felt and thought about her, but he never had really been able to put a finger on it.

He whisked the batter with ease before pouring it into two circular pans, putting them in the oven, and setting the timer. "What now?"

Grabbing orange streamers and tape, she asked him, "Do you think you could look in Naruto's room for something we could put on top of the cake?" He nodded even though he wasn't totally sure what she meant. Standing in Naruto's doorway, he realized there really wasn't much in his teammate's bedroom. There was his bed, a nightstand, and a dresser. The nightstand held a lamp, a clock, and their team picture. He wondered what happened to his copy of the photo. On the dresser lay a few scrolls and his shuriken pouch was on the floor in the corner. There really wasn't anything he thought they could use. As a last resort he looked in the little drawer on Naruto's night table. There was only one thing inside.

It was his hitai-ate. Folded neatly. Blue with a deep scratch over the leaf symbol. His breath caught in his throat as he gingerly picked it up, sitting down on the bed. He couldn't believe Naruto still had it. Well, if you had asked him a year ago, he probably would have said he wouldn't be surprised if he had kept it. But now, seeing it, he felt a wave of gratitude towards his friend even though he didn't understand what he was grateful for. Then came the sinking feeling. He was so sorry. So sorry for almost killing his friend. At the time, it seemed like they needed that fight to come closer, to understand each other, but that didn't have to be the case. If only he wasn't so stupid, if only he didn't close himself off, if only he had been open with his teammates earlier, if only he had not been the way he was. They had all gotten stronger from his absence, not that he would take the credit, but all three of them had endured a lot of pain because he left.

He rubbed his thumb over the scratch and felt something similar to bitter nostalgia roll over him, though it was probably more like a longing for what could have been. But he was Sasuke and he had never been good at wishing for what he could not have. He may dream about what he could not have, but eventually that turned into avenging what he could not have. This time, he figured that meant keeping and strengthening his bonds. He sat there for a few more minutes simply staring at the cloth in his hands. Then he remembered he left Sakura in the other room for almost ten minutes, so he folded it back up and put it back in the drawer.

Walking back to the kitchen, he noticed Sakura was just putting up the last of the streamers. He smirked seeing her reaching to tape them to the ceiling, arms high above her head even though she was standing on a chair. He watched her finish with a sigh and almost fall off the chair when she noticed he was watching her.

"Sasuke-kun!" She grabbed the clothes around her heart and breathed dramatically. "Don't scare me like that! How long have you been standing there?"

A part of Sasuke wanted to smile at how ridiculous she looked, or maybe it was the fact that he could see a faint blush on her cheeks, but he shrugged before answering, "Not long. I couldn't find anything in his room."

"That's okay," Sakura told him as she climbed down from the chair and put it away. "You can help me blow up the balloons."

They sat blowing balloons on the floor in silence. He had always considered himself a thoughtful, analytical person, but it seemed he became more quiet and thoughtful around Sakura. But, when he was around her, he became slightly more talkative, too. That didn't make any sense, he realized. Which reminded him . . .

"Sakura. What's with Naruto and Hinata?" She seemed surprised that he was asking such a question but looked like she was thinking how to answer while tying her balloon.

"I don't know how much you know about Pein's invasion of Konoha, but Naruto almost single-handedly defeated him." She was playing with her hands now, not meeting his eyes. "Before he arrived – he was out sage training – Pein killed a lot of our shinobi, even Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke felt his eyes go wide; he didn't know about that. "Naruto really gave us a scare, too. Pein had him pinned and almost captured him. He wanted the Kyuubi and taking it would kill Naruto." She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "There was no way any of the rest of us could do anything to stop Pein. Only Naruto was a match for him. But before any of us could step in, Hinata did. She stood right between Pein and Naruto." Sakura smiled weakly. "I've never seen Hinata like that. Naruto yelled at her to leave, that she would die, but she said she didn't care. She said she loved him, right then and there. She fought Pein for a bit, but quickly was injured quite badly. When she got hurt and Pein was going to kill her, Naruto lost it. The Kyuubi took over and he went on a rampage.

"A lot happened after that, but I think ever since then, something's been different between them. I don't know if Naruto fully returns her feelings, though. We all knew that she's liked him since we were in the academy, and that he considered her a friend, but I know he respects her a lot after that. I don't know if Naruto even knows how he feels about the situation."

Sasuke knew that Pein had invaded and destroyed a lot of Konoha, and he figured that Naruto had a large part in his defeat, but a lot of what Sakura was saying was news to him. The timer for the cake rang and Sakura got up to take it out of the oven, leaving a thinking Sasuke on the floor. His best friend was changing. They all were changing, really. But none of the changes as of late seemed to be negative ones. Listening to Sakura talk, his respect for both his friend and the Hyuuga heiress increased and suddenly he wanted to know every detail of what had happened during his absence. It was giving him a headache.

He stood to lean his elbows on the counter, watching Sakura decorate the cake while talking to him about how many cakes she had made before, the different decorating techniques she had used on each one, and how her mom thought each one had turned out. Sasuke wasn't particularly listening to every word she was saying, but as she spoke, he noticed he didn't feel as bad. As noon rolled around, he wondered if her voice would always heal his headaches.

* * *

**a/n:** Even though I'll be away for a few days, I hope to update early/mid next week. Merry Christmas and let me know what you think! I'd love to wake up to reviews as presents :)


	5. With Sleep and Time

Naruto couldn't believe what was going on in his apartment when he returned. Honestly, since the war ended, he had thought about his birthday, but he figured he and everyone around him had enough going on that expecting them to do anything would be ridiculous. He wasn't even sure that he himself was ready to celebrate it so close to losing his dad again.

But right in front of him, in the place he called home, stood the two living people he loved the most, ready to celebrate his existence with him. He almost walked back out and closed the door, not sure of how to respond. He never grew up like this; it was all so new to him – people _happy_ he existed – and now it made him so incredibly happy that he thought he could never be sad again.

Sasuke was sitting next to Sakura at the table which held a glamorous chocolate cake with "Happy 17th Birthday Naruto" written on it and orange streamers covered the kitchen. Naruto didn't know what to say.

"You could come in and close the door," Sasuke pointed out, at which Sakura laughed.

But Naruto still couldn't move because suddenly he thought of how much he had chased after the boy sitting in front of him. He remembered searching for him, how his heart leaped when his shadow clone ran into Sasuke, how his soul gasped for air when he heard from Zetsu that Sasuke had killed Itachi, but that Sasuke was in bad shape, too. Even now, he could feel the rain pouring down his face like it had when they arrived at the ruins of the Uchiha hideout only to find that they were too late and that "Tobi" had taken Sasuke already. What a contrast it was to the scene in front of him, to the boy in front of him who might was well be wearing a party hat with balloons.

His eyes shifted to Sakura as her laughter subsided. He remembered her fist connecting with his face when they were eleven. He remembered how she healed him after he first used his Rasen Shuriken against Kakuzu and despite the pain, he was happy because it felt like they were getting closer to Sasuke _together_. He felt her arms around him after Pein was defeated and Konoha was saved. He felt her arms around him when she tried to make him forget his promise to her. He remembered the pride he had felt burst his heart when she finally released the Byakugou seal. He looked at her now and thought of how much she had grown.

These were the two people who he cared most about. He would do anything for them. He loved them so much. And right now they were showing their love for him in the way that normal, unburdened people showed love for each other, with cakes and smiles and being there for each other.

He walked back out and closed the door, still not sure of how to respond.

Next thing he knew, Sasuke opened the door with a scowl on his face, grabbed Naruto's shoulder, and steered him inside, muttering something about 'could at least act grateful.'

Sakura smiled at him as Sasuke sat him down before sitting back down himself. "Surprise!" she began, waving her hands in the air. "Sasuke-kun and I decided to do a little something for your birthday since we've been a little busy. Sorry we didn't get to it earlier."

Finally thinking of something to say, he scratched the back of his neck in defense. "Nah, it's okay, Sakura-chan. Thank you so much. You too, Sasuke. I . . . really don't know what to say. Thank you. So much."

But Sakura just waved him off. "We know." Grabbing a knife, she sliced the cake. "Let's eat!"

The three shinobi sat and ate birthday cake quietly, the only comment begin Naruto's "This is delicious!" before putting another forkful into his mouth.

When the three of them ate as much as they could – save one who wasn't the most well-known connoisseur of sweets – Sasuke asked, "So how was Hokage helper duty today?"

His eyes lit up at his friend's question. "Awesome! Well, slightly boring, but still awesome." He proceeded to explain to them the alliances between the nations, the states of the hospitals across the maps, the number of casualties sustained, the policies of samurai, the competition for designs for memorials, and how trade was increasing in Konoha. He never thought he would enjoy working out these sorts of tasks, but if they came with the title of Hokage, he was certain he could handle it. "I'm almost looking forward to tomorrow. Baa-chan thinks I can probably help out for the rest of the week."

Sasuke wore a small smile and Sakura exclaimed, "That's great, Naruto!" She turned to grin at Sasuke but he wasn't facing her.

Naruto curled up on the floor, tired, full, and happy. "Sakura-chan, I hope he helped with everything." Shooting a glance at Sasuke, he noticed he was being glared at.

"Of course I helped," Sasuke grumped.

"Heh, I know. I was just joking, teme." Content and listening to fading voices, Naruto fell asleep.

* * *

Sakura woke to a knock on her door.

"Sakura-chan, open up or Sasuke's going to climb through the window! I have to go!"

She groaned in the realization that she had overslept, but somehow she couldn't get herself to feel the urgency of the situation. She rubbed her eyes and rolled out of bed, not bothering to change out of her shorts and t-shirt before heading to the door.

"Finally!" Naruto slouched, exasperated. "We've been knocking for almost ten minutes! Gotta go, though. See you later, Sakura-chan, Sasuke!"

Sakura watched through half-lidded eyes as Naruto jumped to the roof across the street and out across the village. She turned to Sasuke, only to find him already in her apartment. Despite the fact he was here now, she couldn't wake up. She hardly felt remorseful before muttering a small 'sorry' and falling back into bed.

"Sakura. Are you alright?"

She rarely had trouble getting up anymore, so she wondered if maybe something was wrong with her. But before she could answer, or even comprehend that she was happy Sasuke was looking after her in a way, she fell back into the clutches of slumber. She dreamed of him.

When she woke again, this time on her own, sunlight was streaming in through the window in her bedroom. Not opening her eyes, she thought back to yesterday when Naruto had fallen asleep in the middle of talking to them. She smiled to herself; that was so like Naruto. She and Sasuke had stared at him for a minute or two like he had grown seven heads, before accepting the fact he had just fallen asleep on them. She and Sasuke had shared a glance then, as if to ask 'what now?'

But neither of them really minded. They were closer than they had ever really been, all three of them, and she didn't get nervous anymore when it was just the two of them. They were friends, and although she still had feelings for him, although she still loved him, dearly, she was comfortable being friends first and foremost with him.

They had talked about what they imagined Naruto would be like as Hokage, what Konoha would be like with Naruto as Hokage, and how the cake tasted. They had cleared the table, and as she washed dishes, Sasuke dried them. She tried taking down the streamers but was no match for Sasuke who did not need the aid of a chair. Afterward, she sat on the couch, totally relaxed, and smiled slightly as he sat down on the couch, too. They were on opposite ends of the couch, though it wasn't a big couch to begin with, but it was good enough for her. The two of them sat there, thinking their own thoughts, before Sasuke spoke, so quietly she wasn't sure she heard him.

"I miss him." If she heard correctly, Sasuke was confiding in her and this was a big deal. She hardly had time to feel thrilled before concern took over. She wondered who he could be talking about. Naruto didn't really make sense, but she didn't know who else he would miss.

"Who do you miss, Sasuke-kun?" she asked softly, slightly sad she had to ask him to specify.

He looked at his hands which were folded in his lap. "Itachi." She was not expecting that response, but she knew he would explain, so to show she was listening, she turned to face him, lifting her feet on the couch, and put her chin on her bent knees. "The last time I was in this town, I was focused on him. I hated him." Oh, he sounded so regretful that it hurt to listen. "But now . . . don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for you and Naruto, but I can't help but wish he was here. I know it had to be this way, or at least mostly, but . . ." Sasuke paused and Sakura could tell he didn't know how to finish. Then he shrugged, stood, and walked to Naruto's room before closing the door.

She laid her head back on the armrest. Should she let him be? Try to talk to him? She wouldn't know what to say though and she figured he left because he didn't know what to say either. She knew that he wouldn't talk unless he wanted to and she reasoned he at least felt a little better from venting, for lack of a better word. She was very grateful he had at least tried to explain it to her. Sakura waited a few minutes on the couch before walking to the door Sasuke had closed, wood separating them, not quite like a barrier, but more like a bridge.

She knocked softly, not expecting or waiting for a reply. "Sasuke-kun? Thanks."

And that had been it; she had returned to the couch and sat there until Naruto woke up apologizing, at which point she left. Now sitting up in her bed, she wondered how long she had left Sasuke waiting in her living room. Grabbing a set of nicer, but still comfy, clothes, she quickly changed and washed her face before walking out of her room.

"Sorry. I must be turning into Naruto, falling asleep with guests over," she sighed before stopping, noticing that Sasuke was watching her oddly. Against her will, blood ran to her face, not a lot, but she was sure it was enough to be visible. Turning to hide her flush and her anger at herself for even letting it occur, she asked, "Would you like some tea?" as she put the pot on to boil, not waiting for an answer. It was shortly after ten o'clock, and she rummaged through her fridge for anything she felt like eating for breakfast. The water starting to boil, she made the tea and set it on the table, where Sasuke joined her.

"You aren't sick?"

"No, I feel fine," she reassured. "Thanks, though." He just nodded and poured himself a cup. She sat across the table eating reheated teriyaki chicken and sipping tea. Watching him, she noticed something she thought she should have noticed days ago.

"Sasuke-kun? Do you have any other clothes?"

He snorted, looking down at his outfit, the same one he had been wearing for months, minus the rope and waist wrap. "I wash it at Naruto's. But, no, this is all I have." He watched her, interested in what her reaction would be.

She wondered why he hadn't asked Naruto to take him out to buy new clothes. A part of her almost suggested they dig up some of his old clothes from his house, but she completely understood if he wasn't ready to go back there. Not to mention he would've grown out of all the clothes he had when he was twelve.

"Alright. I know what we're doing today."

* * *

Sasuke was walking down to the market, wondering if he would rather be shopping with Naruto instead of Sakura. He decided it probably wouldn't make a difference. He never was one for shopping and he knew this would be quick. Besides a few shirts and a few ninja pants, there was little else he needed. He just hoped they wouldn't run into too many people. While he knew it wouldn't kill him, it wasn't something he was looking forward to.

Looking to Sakura out of the corner of his eye, he saw her glance around at the different apartments, follow birds flying across the sparkling sky, and glance into different stores. She seemed pretty content. Maybe that was why he confided in her yesterday. It wasn't like he could've or would've done anything different, there was just a tiny piece of him that wanted Itachi with him, no strings attached, and it was eating him. Why didn't he tell Naruto instead? He definitely could have and maybe he would, but regardless, he told Sakura first and it felt good. Or at least the gnawing feeling festered less.

And then when he saw her this morning, he wondered if she would say anything about it. But she had been more than half asleep, so he didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Not that he even knew why he should be disappointed. He wasn't any more capable of talking about it now than he was yesterday. He had seen Sakura wake up before on some of their overnight missions as genin, and he had spent plenty early mornings waiting for hours on a red bridge for Kakashi to arrive, but he had never seen her that groggy. He didn't really know what to do so he had left her alone.

Oddly enough, he found himself watching her sleep from the doorway of her bedroom. She lay curled on top of the sheets, the blankets in the same position she must have shoved them off earlier to answer the door. Her hair was everywhere and he watched her breathe. He inched his way forward and held a hand to her forehead, just to make sure she didn't have a fever. When her breath caught, he yanked his hand away, staying only long enough to hear her mumble something inaudible before leaving the room quickly. He wondered what she was dreaming about. Sasuke shut the door behind him so he could continue with the morning without being distracted by his sleeping host. He was just being a good friend. Making sure she was alright was harmless, if not his duty, so he wondered why he felt a twinge of guilt at being in her room. So, he had found a book on the shelf to read and occupied himself quietly with it on her couch until she had woken up.

Sakura had done little except follow him through the shop, something he was grateful for. He wanted this to be over with and he could tell she understood. So a few black and navy blue shirts, three black ninja pants, a pair of regular black shorts, and a pack of boxers later, they were going to return to Sakura's apartment when he decided to ask her something he had been toying with.

"These will be the first shirts I've worn without the Uchiha symbol. Do you think there would be a way you could sew it on them?" He supposed it was fine if she couldn't, but he hoped he didn't have to admit that. He watched her eyebrows furrow and her forehead crease as she thought. He knew kunoichi's learned to sew in the academy, so he hoped it would be possible.

"There should be a shop that sells fabric." She looked up at him, smiling, "Yes, I think that would be easy." And he was glad. He helped her look for a shop that sold fabric and for some reason, something as seemingly trivial – not that it felt trivial to him – as having his clothing the way it should be, made everything else feel the way it should be.

They walked past the Yamanaka Florist Shop and Sakura went over to talk to Ino who was arranging bouquets outside. At one point, Sakura gestured over to him and Ino waved kindly. _Ino must have grown up_, he thought and decided to nod in reply. After another minute or two Sakura walked back over to him, waving to Ino over her shoulder.

"Ino says hi and she's glad you're back."

"Aa." And then, continuing to walk with his hands in his pockets, "I think I'm glad I'm back, too."

The next few mornings passed in a similarly comfortable manner, Naruto dropping him off, Sasuke and Sakura spending the morning reading in companionable silence or talking on and off, Naruto coming back, them having lunch at Naruto's, eating dinner at Sakura's, and then heading off to bed. One night, at the end of the week, Sasuke was listening to Naruto tell him he was thoroughly enjoying his training with Tsunade and despite what anyone else had thought, he was catching on and actually had a knack for politics in his own, unique way. Sasuke made Naruto promise that once he was Hokage, he would listen to any suggestions Sasuke had about changing the shonobi system.

They rotated who got the bed every night and tonight was Sasuke's turn again. And he dreamed. It was the one nightmare that was worse than those torturous ones in which he relived the massacre of his family. He was bound with rope, strapping his arms tightly to the sides of his body. The rope was scratching irritably on the bare skin of his chest and back. Sweat was dripping down his face and the cold, stone floor was numbing. His view was partially obstructed by his limp hair – his view, that is, of a spiral mask, crossed arms, and black everywhere.

Dreams of learning the truth about Itachi were worse than dreams about the massacre. Because, not only did he relive the massacre in those dreams, but he found out how wrong he was, how mislead he had been, how misdirected his life, focus, and anger had been. It wasn't that everything had been for nothing. But in hearing the truth, he had thought over everything, remembered everything, and suddenly longed for kind, caring Itachi again. He had been wrong, wrong, so desperately wrong, and he had killed his innocent, loving brother because of it. Yes, some of his pain had been eased when he met his edo tensei brother, but of course, these dreams never included that.

He shot up in bed, panting, feverish, and covered in a cold sweat. His arm reached behind him and hooked around the pillow, bringing it to his face, hugging it tight, slumped over it. It wasn't that he was sobbing, but he struggled to calm his shuddering breathing.

"Mm, Sasuke? You okay?"

_Oh, no. Not Naruto. Please don't wake up_. If he couldn't relax in front of Naruto, he couldn't relax in front of anyone. But he didn't want to worry his friend. He was probably already being a burden, though he knew Naruto didn't really mind. But Sasuke didn't want to have to explain to him. He wanted to reassure his teammate, to say 'it was just a dream', but it wasn't just a dream. It had actually happened. It was a part of his life, a part of his story.

His face still buried in the pillow, he felt the bed dip next to him and an arm sling itself around his shoulder, rubbing it. Sasuke didn't really know what to do in response, so he just tried to ignore it and calm himself down. But after a few minutes, he grew slowly grateful of the presence beside him. He experienced nightmares very frequently ever since _that _night, but he had always dealt with them, and the rest of his problems, alone. Right now, a part of him felt eight years old and very small.

"I don't know what you were dreaming about," Naruto began, whispering, "but it's in the past . . . not that that means it didn't happen. But we've all changed, Sasuke, and things are going to be different from now on. Better."

They sat on the bed for a few more minutes together, Sasuke finally having someone help him calm down from a nightmare. He hoped Naruto's words were true and to show him, he breathed a small "Thank you."

Naruto returned to the floor and Sasuke slid back under the covers, trying to be swallowed by them.

He woke up before Naruto and went into the bathroom for a shower to wash off the sweat from the night that had dried on his skin. When he was finished and walked into the kitchen, Naruto was already up and had breakfast ready. Neither of them said anything about the episode during the night.

Sakura had tea waiting for him when they arrived and instead of reading, she though he might enjoy having a go at another 1000 piece puzzle race. He took her up on the offer to preoccupy himself, not just from the lingering thoughts from the nightmare, but also because Sakura's hair seemed extra pink and pretty today. Sakura sighed in frustration, running her hands through her hair when Sasuke finished. He had won, but she only had six pieces left. While they were cleaning up the puzzle pieces, a frantic knock came from the door.

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan! Open up! I have news!"

Sakura opened the door to a bubbly, excited Naruto who was practically jumping.

"Baa-chan has a mission for us! She wants us to grab Kakashi-sensei and meet at the Hokage Tower in half an hour. We're going on a mission, guys!"

Sakura seemed quite happy upon hearing the news, too. "Really? Oh, it'll be just like old times!"

Both of them looked at him and he didn't quite want to let on how much he was looking forward to it, but he couldn't help but add, "It'll be nice to have something to do."

They finished cleaning up the puzzles, and walked over to Kakashi's apartment. Sasuke figured the Hokage had them pick him up in order to insure they wouldn't be waiting for him for three hours. He had never been to Kakashi's place, but his teammates seemed to know where he lived so he just followed them. When their old sensei answered the door, he tried to slink back in his apartment to go "shower", but Sakura and Naruto grabbed him before he could close the door on them and dragged him out. Admitting defeat, he joined them on their way. In under ten minutes, the four of them stood in front of Tsunade, waiting for her to speak.

"Good morning, everyone. I assume Naruto has told you that this is a mission briefing. I have chosen the four of you, not only because of your quality, but also to help rebuild the bonds between you that have been shaken during the last few years. If everything works well during this mission and the four of you are willing, we may reinstate Team Seven."

Sakura and Naruto's eyebrows shot up and Sasuke felt a flicker of warmth in him, though he didn't completely understand why that was an appropriate reaction. The Hokage continued. "Sasuke, I hope that this mission will encourage your affections toward, not only your Konoha teammates, but also Konoha itself. Sakura, I apologize for seemingly neglecting your shinobi duties that last week or so, but I hope you understand that you watching Sasuke is a mission.

"Now, about the mission. While cleaning up some of the side effects of the war, we had a report of some territory on the edge of the fire country that seems to be unexplored. Your mission will be to scout out this land. You need to find out as much about the land as possible, including if anyone lives there. Kakashi, you will be the leader of the team and I would like you all to leave at dawn tomorrow." She held out a scroll to Kakashi, which he took. "This has a map of the general region of where the area is and the specifics of the missions. Are there any questions?"

* * *

**a/n:** Thanks for reading and reviews would really helpful and appreciated!


	6. On the Move

Naruto hadn't ever had such an open-ended mission before, but he was sure it would be exciting. He was with Team Seven! They would definitely enjoy themselves. Still in the Hokage's office, he had suggested enthusiastically going to Ichiraku's to celebrate and everyone, even Kakashi, had agreed with a smile.

Finally arriving, Naruto flung back the flaps outside the shop and pommel-horsed his usual stool, sitting down. "I can't believe we've been back for almost two weeks and I haven't been here yet!" Grabbing a menu, he snuggled it to his face and exclaimed dramatically, "Oh, ramen, how I have missed you!"

Despite his excitement, he didn't miss the hesitation with which Sasuke stood behind the stool he had always occupied when they ate ramen together years ago.

"Don't worry, Sasuke! The seats are much more comfortable than they were before," he encouraged, bouncing up and down on the stool. The small smirk Sasuke wore in response let Naruto know he had succeeded in loosening up some of the uneasiness his friend had been feeling. "It'll make it even harder to leave!" he laughed.

Sasuke slowly sat down and picked up a menu. Kakashi took a seat on his left and Sakura on his right, with Naruto to the right of Sakura. The four of them sat quietly staring at their menus even after they had decided what to order, remembering how much had happened since they had last sat like this. It had been before the Chuunin Exam.

"Ah, Naruto and Co.!" Teuchi exclaimed, walking out from the back room. "What can I get for the saviors of Konoha?" he asked, although Naruto did notice with sadness the slightly questioning glance he gave Sasuke.

"Hey Jii-chan, your miso ramen better still be the best!" Naruto couldn't wait to feel the noodles curl together on the way to his mouth, smell the soup, and taste the ramen on his tongue.

After Teuchi reassured him with waving arms, Naruto's teammates placed their orders.

"Alright children, don't forget we can't stay out too late; we have to be up early," Kakashi reminded them. "I'm giving you all a curfew of eight."

"What? Kakashi-sensei, but that's only in five and a half hours!"

"Yes, Naruto. And . . . ? Are you suggesting that's not enough?" he prodded, giving Naruto _the eye _as best he could while still looking lazy.

"Whatever." Naruto knew Kakashi understood he wasn't being completely serious. Their ramen arrived shortly afterward and he noticed that Sakura and Sasuke had been particularly quiet since they left the Hokage Tower. He totally understood – he was feeling more thoughtful than usual, too – but it couldn't hurt to engage them in conversation.

Still chewing a mouthful of noodles, he commented, "Hey, Sasuke. You have new clothes. Since when?"

"Sakura and I went shopping together yesterday." Naruto didn't miss the 'together' and if Sakura's small smile was any indication, she didn't miss it either. Not that it implicitly meant anything, but Naruto felt that he knew his friend well enough that he could pretend that little words like this mattered. He knew Sasuke valued Sakura, but him allowing her to take him clothes shopping proved his trust in her.

"Ah, really? So you got some fresh air. That's good," Naruto nodded to himself. "Did you meet anyone we know?" Sasuke looked at Sakura, as if telling her she should answer this time.

"I just talked to Ino for a few minutes. That's it. You know, I know it's not possible to do now, but maybe after the mission we should get together with the rest of the rookies. We've been kind of isolated from everyone since the war ended."

Naruto looked down into his fresh bowl of steaming ramen. Sakura's voice had faded when she mentioned the rest of the rookies and Naruto would bet he could guess the reason why. They were both thinking of who would not be able to join them.

Neji.

A few days ago, when he was with Tsunade, Neji's death had come up in the discussion about changes that were occurring within the Hyuuga clan. He was really happy to hear that Hinata was to be credited for a large percentage of these changes, but thinking about now Neji had died right in front of him, _to save him_, even though they had never been extremely close friends, killed a part of Naruto. Neji had changed greatly since their fight in the Chuunin Exam finals and Naruto greatly respected who he had become. His heart ached to remember the look of pain through Neji's smile. It ached to remember that Neji's blood had been on him, but then again, it wasn't discernible among the blood of a lot of other shinobi that had been on him at the time.

"Yeah," he replied, breaking himself out of his musing. "That would be nice."

The rest of the conversations that ensued throughout the afternoon over ramen were generally pointless, but enjoying each other's company while talking of matters that hold little importance is part of what friends do.

Finally, as Naruto was thirty-four noodles into his sixteenth bowl, Kakashi excused himself.

"Alright, I'm off. Have fun, but I suggest you get a training session in today. I don't know if we'll be doing much fighting on this mission, but a sparring match or two would help your teamwork." They all nodded and said goodbye. Kakashi waved. "See you tomorrow morning."

* * *

They arrived at training ground three just after four o'clock. First they had a one-on-one-on-one sparring match, which none of them won. So they did three half hour sessions of two versus one. The first one was Naruto and Sakura against Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura made a good team because they knew each other's strengths and had trained together whenever they could. There was no clear winner, although Sasuke seemed frustrated that he had been hit a few times.

The next match was Sakura and Sasuke against Naruto. Honestly, they weren't the smoothest team. Sakura had a good idea of Sasuke's artillery, but less of his more recent fighting style. All Sasuke knew about his teammate was of her super strength and that she was a medic. He quickly realized she had a Doton affiliation, so that ruled out using any of his Raiton jutsu. Katon worked well against Naruto's Fuuton jutsu, though. He made a mental note to train with Sakura more if they would be going on missions together from now on.

The last one before they called it quits for the day was Naruto and Sasuke against Sakura. Sakura held up very well against him and Naruto, but he had fought with Naruto against Madara and Obito, so they fell into place alongside each other quickly.

When the sun started touching the tips of the trees, the trio turned to say their goodbyes and go their separate ways. Sasuke began to make for the path until something stopped him.

Naruto looked over at him before suggesting, "Sasuke, let's walk Sakura-chan home! Sakura-chan, wait up!"

She turned around and smiled. "No, it's fine. Thanks though."

Sasuke snorted as he fell into step beside her. "We're trying to be nice. Just let us." He smirked down at her. His eyes met hers and he watched as Sakura smiled and looked down at her feet.

"Smirking is a great way to make people happy, Sasuke-kun," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Hey, what are you two talking about? I want in!" Naruto yelled animatedly, catching up to them.

"Nothing, dobe."

"Watch it, teme. I don't believe you." He grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her to his other side, away from Sasuke. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'll save you from the condescending Sasuke."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets with a sigh as they met up with the main road. So many things had gone wrong in his life; so many things still were wrong in his life. Many, though not all, had been his fault. But right now, arguing with Naruto and walking beside his teammates, he just felt so relaxed and more content than he had probably ever been. It just filled him with this feeling. It made it easier to breathe. It wasn't as explicit as happiness or as exciting as joy. It was a soft feeling, like a plush blanket that just made you want to curl up on it and snuggle your face against it and grasp it with your fists and never let it go and just fall asleep in it forever. It was warm and ever so peaceful. It was unreal to Sasuke. He probably would've thought something was wrong with him, but it felt so good he didn't care.

When they arrived at Sakura's apartment, she thanked them sweetly for walking her home and said goodnight. Sasuke noticed her hesitate before closing the door, almost as if she wanted to say or do something else, but all that took place was a quick "see you tomorrow" before she slipped from his sight.

Once home, Sasuke took out his katana and whetstone and began to sharpen and polish the blade. Naruto walked past him and into his room. As Naruto began to pack, Sasuke thought about doing the same, but he really had nothing to pack. He had his katana and his seals for summoning shuriken so he hadn't carried spare weapons on him in ages. He figured he probably should bring a spare change of clothes, but didn't have anything to carry them in anyway so he figured he would just go as he was.

Walking back into the main room, Naruto asked, "Any preference for dinner?"

_Something more nutritious than ramen would be nice the night before a mission_. "What do you have?"

Opening the fridge, Naruto replied slowly, "Some rice, oatmeal, eggs, and the leftover pork gyouza Sakura-chan gave us."

"I'll make myself eggs and heat up some rice."

"Good," Naruto stated. "Then I'll finish the gyouza just in case it goes bad before we get back. Maybe I'll have some rice, too."

Once Sasuke's katana was as good as new, he joined Naruto who was already eating. After they were finished, he looked across the table at his friend. "I always knew Sakura had potential." That was true; even though she didn't work quite as hard in their genin days, he had always seen her special knack for certain things. "I know she's become a pretty amazing fighter." Not only had today's training session proved as much, but he had gotten a taste of her power and abilities during the war. He didn't know where he was going with these observations or why he was saying them out loud, but he didn't really think it mattered. "Is she still a genin?"

Naruto smiled proudly and shook his head. "Nope! She stayed in Konoha while I left to train and took the exam again. She's a chuunin!"

Sasuke thought so. Thinking a little more, he added, "She'd probably pass the Jounin Exam easily." Putting an elbow on the table and resting his chin in his palm he continued, "We're all jounin level shinobi, really."

"Yeah," Naruto mused, mirroring Sasuke's pose. "I wonder if the Jounin Exam bares any resemblance to the Chuunin Exam. It's gotta be pretty hard. I wonder what you have to do."

Sasuke had no idea either. He didn't know if he would even be allowed to take the Jounin Exam with his restrictions.

After cleaning up, Sasuke took to the bed roll and Naruto leaped onto the bed before flipping over to set his alarm for six. "Night, Sasuke."

"Night, Naruto." As Sasuke tossed, trying in vain to fall asleep, he decided he was vaguely interested in how this mission would turn out. However, he was sure it would be nothing compared to all the hardships he'd endured so far.

* * *

It was six fifteen. She had to be at the gate in twenty-five minutes. Having already packed and showered the night before, Sakura whipped up some scrambled eggs, ate them, cleaned up the dishes, and suited up. Stepping outside and locking her apartment door behind her, she noticed the sky just starting to lighten in the east. She inhaled deeply, taking the cool morning air into her lungs. The air always tasted fresher in the morning, before the town was awake and loud. The silence was something she enjoyed as she made her way to the outskirts of the village. The birds chirping and the occasional shinobi walking by were welcome, though, and made her feel glad to be alive.

Today was a good day. She was going on a mission. With Team Seven. _Her_ team. Since who-knows-when. She was grateful for the other people who had joined their team along the way and they had become good friends, but there was nothing like the original. It had been far too long and far too hard since their last mission together and today marked the start of something new.

Once she arrived at the gate, Sakura leaned against the wall and waited, watching the sun begin to rise. Only a minute or two after she arrived, the half-lit silhouettes of Naruto and Sasuke came into view. As they walked closer, Naruto's hair matched the sun as a sliver of it slipped into view. It flung crazy shadows across Sasuke's face and hair and made him look stunning, at which Sakura's heart stopped and then sped up somewhat, before she grit her teeth, willing it back to its normal pace. A glint of something on his head caught her eye. The realization of what it was dawned on her and she drew in a quick breath, leaving her mouth slightly open.

It was his hitai-ate. His old one. Still navy blue with the valley in the metal right across the Konoha leaf. She knew Naruto kept it. She and Kakashi were the only ones who knew, but seeing it on him was different. It was nostalgic of the past in very happy and very sad ways. She wondered what he had thought when Naruto had brought it out.

"Sasuke-kun. Your hitai-ate. It–"

"Can you believe he already knew about it, Sakrua-chan?" Naruto cut her off. "He found it in my drawer when you guys were baking my cake so he wasn't surprised when I gave it to him this morning!" Naruto pouted, like he had missed out on something great, which he probably had. Sakura remembered now how long he had been in Naruto's room that day and how withdrawn he had been when he had returned. Now it made sense.

Naruto continued. "Anyway, Sakura-chan, sorry we're late. I had to find a belt for Sasuke's katana now that he got rid of that dreadful rope. I can't remember the last time I ever wore a belt, but I still had one."

As time dragged on and Kakashi was nowhere in sight, the two boys stood on either side of her, leaning against the towering wall and watching the sun dispel the darkness and color everything brilliantly. It still left shadows everywhere, but those would only disappear completely once a day. They would be present most of the time. Sakura thought that was relatively symbolic.

Kakashi showed up half an hour later and nobody felt like yelling at him. A dramatic "Finally!" left Sakura's lips before he caught up to them.

"Ah, good morning." When he didn't receive a reply, he continued. "This is an A-rank mission just because of the uncertainty of the situation. If everything goes normally, this should honestly be a high C-rank, maybe low B-rank, mission. The area we are scouting is on the southern end of the panhandle of the Land of Fire. It is roughly three quarters of the way from the Land of Tea to the Land of Noodles and will take us about three days to get to. If we were to go straight, it would only take us about two and a half days, but that would have us arriving at nightfall, which is not the best time of day to scout efficiently. So we will travel for two days, set up camp early the second day, spend the night roughly five miles from the perimeter of the area, and close in in the morning. Understood?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi paused for a second, still amused they chose to call him their sensei after so many years, but just smiled under his mask.

"Alright then, you all follow me. Sasuke, take up your position behind me, then Sakura, and Naruto, you bring up the rear. This should be a low danger mission, but you are shinobi and should always expect the worst. Keep your eyes open."

Sakura nodded, as did the boys, and with that, they took to the trees.

* * *

**a/n:** Reviews are extremely loved and motivating! Let me know what you think so I can make this better. Things should start acting up!


	7. Accustomed to Things

They traveled all day, their spirits as high as the noonday sun, only taking a five minute break around lunchtime to have a bite of some nasty rations and a sip from their canteens.

Once they were covered in darkness, and they caught sight of a small clearing, Kakashi signaled their decent.

"We'll stop here for today. Naruto and Sasuke, there should be a stream one hundred meters west of our current position. Please fill up the canteens and get us some dinner. Sakura, you will set up camp and I'll find some firewood." They split.

Roughly five minutes after Sakura was left alone in the clearing, Sasuke joined her, carrying a dead raccoon by its tail.

Sakura had never eaten a raccoon before. "No fish tonight?"

He shrugged and sat down next to her. "I found it before we got to the stream; it was easy enough to kill. Can I borrow a kunai?" His katana or shuriken wouldn't be as efficient in skinning the animal.

"You don't have any?" Sakura asked, surprised, as she handed one to him. It was rare for shinobi to not use kunai.

"I have my katana and seals that I can summon shuriken with. I figured I'd be fine." He began slicing off the fur and his hands were quickly dripping with blood.

Sakura figured they all had their preferred styles of fighting and his made sense for him and what he was used to. She watched him skillfully skin the raccoon and wondered what kinds of things he had gotten used to eating after he had left and killed Orochimaru.

"Have you ever eaten raccoon, Sasuke-kun?"

He nodded. "The ones I had were always greasy and a little tough. It's not the best, but it's adequate."

Naruto walked in soon after with the canteens. "Have you gutted it yet?" to which the reply was a "no." Naruto looked over Sasuke's shoulder at the skin and noted, "Kurama looks more like a fox than Shukaku looks like a raccoon."

Sakura thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, though she noticed how Naruto's thought process was so different than hers. When she saw the Bijuu, she thought of the animals they looked like, but rarely the other way around.

By the time Kakashi arrived and arranged the firewood, Sasuke had the coon ready to be cooked.

Digging her teeth into the meat, Sakura thought they could have let it cook longer, but she was hungry so she would rather have it sooner and undercooked than later and more delicious. It was juicy but tough.

They were mostly silent during dinner and, after cleaning up their greasy fingers and faces in the stream, made tea.

"What if we find a new species of animal in this place?" Naruto pondered out loud.

"That would be interesting," Sakura agreed, "but I doubt it."

"Well, then, what about a new plant that has magical properties?" Kakashi proposed.

They spent most of the next hour trading views, outrageous and probable, of what they would discover when they were scouting. After a while, without having to say a word, they all knew when it was time to turn in.

"I'll take first watch," Kakashi volunteered. "Who wants second?"

Sasuke half-raised his hand and it was decided he would wake Sakura when his turn was over, who would wake up Naruto after hers.

"Sasuke, what happened to your bedroll?" Naruto asked, sounding slightly incredulous. Sakura looked over to see Naruto staring at Sasuke, who was lying directly on the ground.

"I don't have it. I haven't used it in years."

_No shuriken pouch, no kunai, no bedroll_, Sakura noted dryly. She and Naruto made eye contact, briefly wondering, not for the first time, what Sasuke had trained himself to be accustomed to. They had difficult and trying years while he was gone, too, but now that he was back, they considered it worth it. They weren't sure what Sasuke felt.

Trying to make light of the situation, Naruto shook his head and muttered "always trying to be the tough guy."

She snuggled into her bedroll and decided that if they came across any towns, she would try to find one for him.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun. Goodnight, Naruto."

"Night, Sakura-chan. Night, Sasuke."

"Night."

It was the middle of a night when Sakura woke to muffled screams and groans of pain and strangled cries. Sasuke was having a nightmare and she only caught the tail end of it. Sakura could tell Kakashi was still on his watch because Naruto was already beside Sasuke, trying to wake him up and calm him down. He had had a nightmare once before while they were on a mission, but that was a long time ago and he had concealed it better then. Sakura watched, twisted over in her bedroll as Sasuke bolted upright and cupped his face in his hands and took deep, shuddering breaths.

After a while, he was able to tear his face from his hands and he made eye contact with Sakura and he was so ashamed and felt so weak but the nightmare was so bad he didn't really care that he looked seven years old. He figured they should already know that the horrors of the slaughter of his _family_ haven't ever left and he didn't have enough energy to keep his mask up right then.

Sakura didn't know what to do but she wanted to do something. So she walked over and sat by him, putting a hand on his shoulder as Naruto was doing; he didn't push her off. Instead he leaned his head against Naruto's shoulder and grabbed the hand Sakura was putting on his shoulder and held it, squeezing it as tightly as he was squeezing his eyes shut.

They continued to sit like that, coated in the dark of the night.

Once Sasuke began calming down and opened his eyes, they looked empty and his expression was still stunned and he knew it hurt both of them so much to see him like that. They stayed up after Kakashi came back down from his watch and knew he saw the whole scene from the trees. The three of them stayed up together for Sasuke's watch, no longer making physical contact, but still sitting close. He fell asleep halfway through and she and Naruto didn't mind. They stayed awake on either side of him for the rest of the night, as if keeping him safe, talking here and there.

* * *

When Sasuke woke up the next morning, Naruto didn't know if he should say anything. He had talked to Sakura about it, who was also unsure. They knew it would be a blow to his pride if they questioned him in broad daylight. There was also the fact that this was a trauma Sasuke was dealing with and there was probably nothing they could do to prevent the nightmares, only be there for him when he woke up. But they were his friends and their hearts ached to see him in so much pain for so long and they wanted to do anything they could to help him, dealing a blow to his pride or not.

For this morning, though, they opted for silence.

The four of them quietly had a piece of fish and a drink of water for breakfast, and after cleaning up and refilling their canteens, they went on their way again.

Naruto always enjoyed being on the move. Granted, they always moved fast, focusing on the destination, but he loved watching the landscape change as they moved across countries. Even though they were still in the Land of Fire and surrounded by dense forests, the air had changed slightly, there was more of a variety of trees, and the temperature had dropped a little as they moved closer to coastal areas.

Naruto was glad they came across a town around midday because Kakashi agreed to stop there to find a place to eat lunch. As they walked through the streets, he sensed it had the same sort of feel as Konoha, only it was much smaller.

He noticed Sakura looking around at the stores with a peculiar amount of attention. Sidling up beside her, he asked quietly, "What are you looking for, Sakura-chan?"

She looked at him, slightly relieved, as if glad he had asked. "Well, honestly, I'd like to find some sort of shop that sells ninja supplies. I'd like for Sasuke-kun to have a bedroll." Naruto thoroughly agreed and began getting excited over the idea. "You see, just because he settled for doing things a certain way before, things are different now and he deserves better." Sakura continued. "I know it's not much, but I think he'd appreciate it."

"Absolutely." They walked together now, both looking for any place that might have their desired item. About halfway down the street, Kakashi found a small café that seemed suitable, but Naruto wanted to keep looking for the secret.

Trying to be as obvious as possible that he didn't want Sasuke to listen, he walked up to Kakashi and whispered in his ear, "Hey, um, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan and I have some business to finish. Can you and Sasuke order for us? We'll be right back." Kakashi didn't look convinced. "It's important. Please."

"Fine, but don't take too long, Naruto."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, who was suspicious, and just grinned. Quickly he grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her down the street, running.

Almost when it seemed like there were no more shops left, that they would have to turn back empty handed, they found a small stand that sold some generic camping equipment. Buying a standard bedroll that matched the rest of theirs, they made their way back to the café.

"Naruto? Do you think Sasuke-kun will ever be able to be honestly happy? I mean, I know things can never be perfect for him, or any of us for that matter, but I just want him to be as happy as he can be. You know?"

Of course he knew. He thought about it all the time, too. All he could manage in reply, though, was a "yeah" accompanied by a nod. When they arrived at the café, the food had already been served, but was still warm. Kakashi had ordered Yakiniku for the four of them, but before they sat down, Sakura held out their gift to Sasuke, who stared at it curiously.

"Um, Sasuke-kun, Naruto and I were thinking it's too bad you don't have a bedroll, so we got you one." They had the satisfaction of watching his eyes widen slightly as he reached out and accepted it. "We know it isn't much, but we figured it's better than nothing, even if nothing is what you've gotten used to."

One corner of Sasuke's mouth curled up slightly as he spoke a soft "thank you." And he seemed genuinely grateful, as much for the thought as for the actual gift. Kakashi smiled, too, glad to see the relationship between his former students. They didn't know how lucky they were. Yes, things could be much better, but they could be much worse, too. With Sasuke's return and the time they spent together, they were getting each other back, and he knew that meant more than words could express.

The food wasn't delicious, but it was hearty and filled Naruto up. They discussed the length they still had to travel for the day and Kakashi pointed out that since they took a slight detour here, they would have to move quickly in order to be in position by dark. Shortly after, with Sasuke's new bedroll strapped to his back, they took off once more.

* * *

Sasuke was very grateful for the extra burden on his back, even if it shifted slightly awkwardly without a backpack supporting it from below while he jumped from tree to tree. He knew it meant as much for him to receive it as for them to give it. They were really the only friends he had ever had, but he was sure they were the best friends to be had by anyone ever. He could only imagine who he'd be without them.

He wondered who they would be without him.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly and after Kakashi stopped to check the map a few times, they finally ended their travel for the day.

The sun had set, but the last ten minutes of daylight were still present as Kakashi reminded them of what their plan was. "We are approximately five miles from the edge of the area we are to scout. Tomorrow morning, after the sun is up, we will make our way to the perimeter. It is about six to eight square miles in size and we should be able to scan the area in one day. However, depending on what we find, we will move at a slower pace if necessary. We will not be splitting up, but will move in a square formation. We will be far enough apart to maximize area covered, but close enough to be able to communicate. We will be stopping every hour to share observations. If all goes efficiently and as expected, we will write up our reports tomorrow night and head back the day after. For now we will set up camp."

A murmur of "Yes, Kakashi-sensei" followed and Sasuke left with Naruto to find some fish after Naruto had collected everyone's canteens. Everyone gnawed their fish huddling closer to the fire that night since the temperature was a few degrees colder.

When they had moved onto tea, Kakashi asked, "Did you three ever end up training like I proposed?" They nodded. "Ah, really? How did it go?"

Naruto responded. "You know, Kakashi-sensei, we're all really good. We work great together! Well, I can fight really well with Sakura and Sasuke, but they don't fight that well together. "

"Is that so?"

Sasuke watched his sensei's expression as Sakura explained how their elemental affinities canceled each other.

"Ah, yes, I see now," Kakashi stated. "In that case, you two should spend some time together discussing your fighting styles so you can figure out something that works effectively." Sasuke and Sakura made eye contact, nodding to each other as if to say _I figured as much_.

So after everything was cleaned up and Kakashi was on the first watch and Naruto was falling asleep, he and Sakura walked to the edge of their camp to discuss battle tactics.

"Okay," he began, as they sat cross-legged facing each other, "let's start with our strengths, even if we think we already know each other's. I have especially good genjutsu and doujutsu abilities, am very fast, am good at taijutsu, have Raiton and Katon affiliation, and like to use my katana." Wow, even if that was the truth, it sounded a lot like bragging to him.

"Right. I am pretty good at genjutsu and taijutsu, I'm really strong, I know a lot medical ninjutsu, have perfect chakra control, and have Doton affiliation." The two people who graduated highest in their year at the academy sat quietly next to each other for the next few minutes, trying to piece together the information they had just been provided with and work it to their benefit.

Sasuke honestly couldn't see what made them incompatible. If they were fighting together, they should be able to destroy anyone. "I think we're fine," he declared. "Together our abilities should add up to an impressive level." He noticed she seemed pleased that he was acknowledging her skills. "The only things we have to be careful of are our nature affiliations. I cannot use Katon jutsu against a Suiton or Raiton jutsu against a Fuuton user. If we are trying to do a combined attack, I just have to be careful not to use Raiton jutsu or it would cancel your Doton jutsu."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "I can't believe we made it sound like this was hard." She smiled. "Theoretically, we should fight very well together. I guess we'll just have to practice a bit more."

"Aa."

And suddenly there was nothing more to say, but Sasuke didn't feel like trying out his new bedroll just yet. For some reason he was enjoying just sitting there. Sakura seemed in the same phase of mind until she began to fidget, as if she was having an internal battle. Wondering if it was because of something he did, but not wanting to interfere in case it wasn't, he simply sat quietly, waiting, completely unaware of what she was thinking.

Finally she made eye contact with him, opening her mouth to say something, before she looked back down at the dirt between them and whispered, "I'm sorry I tried to kill you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke froze, hearing those words from her, surprised, but then shuddered. He was almost able to feel her throat in his fingers as he began to _squeeze._ He clasped his head in his hands and leaned it against his knees in horror that he ever tried to do that. But he did and she was apologizing. Sasuke wondered if she ever had flashbacks or dreams of what would've happened – a kunai gutting him from behind, his blood on her hands, the face he would've worn. He had often dreamed unwillingly of what would've happened, too. In those dreams, just like he had explained to Naruto about pain through familial bonds, her eyes spoke of pain through similar bonds.

Mostly the dreams were filled with her eyes screaming 'no', what her limp body would've looked like at his feet, what direction her limbs would've be pointing in, her veins pulsing in her neck against his palm and then he would've felt it stop as her eyes rolled back and he would've watched it in an anger-induced calm and it would've been his fault. _All his fault_. And he just hated himself now whenever he even thought about thinking about it. He knew she was watching his reaction intensely right now, but he couldn't look at her and was still doubled over, eyes slammed shut. Something in him had snapped. How could she even stand to look at him?

But Sasuke needed her to. Sakura was one of his old bonds and he needed her as much as he needed Naruto, though in a different way. So he couldn't just hate himself away from her because he would want to go back. Then how could he reconcile this?

He realized she said sorry and in that sorry she was forgiving him. The least he could do was say sorry, too, forgiving her in a 'sorry' even though he never really held it against her. And then he realized how grossly insufficient, how lacking, how totally incomplete a 'sorry' was. How could it ever mean what he wanted to say? How could he ever make it up to her – how low and animalistic he had become, though there were parts of his path he still didn't regret?

He wondered why he never felt like this towards Naruto. Why did he never feel like his 'sorry's could never be enough? There was something in his bond with Naruto that didn't call for that. They both stood on more equal ground and understood things without saying them. With Sakura, he must have really done something to make the twelve-year-old-who-had-hugged-him-to-get-the-curse-seal-to-go-away go to the point where she almost killed him.

How utterly retched of him to make her do that. Though now he caught himself, and knew he would never take all the credit for making her who she was today. That would be incredibly self-centered of him. But maybe he could take credit for all the bad ways she had changed since then; maybe that was the start of the least he could do to make up for everything, to start to even begin to imagine saying sorry. Could he ever find a way to complete his apology to her?

Now bitter and sad and unable to vocalize any of his thoughts, he stood without even another glance at Sakura, clearly disturbed, and walked away, aggressively getting into his bedroll, shutting his eyes, and praying for sleep to take him immediately. Preferably a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**a/n:** Reveiws really encourage me and I will be forever grateful for any you leave. Changes come next chapter!


	8. Found in the Forest

When Kakashi woke Sasuke up for his watch, he noticed the boy seemed uncharacteristically unwilling to get up, and it didn't seem like it was from a lack of sleep. He wondered why, but was too ready for sleep to give it another minute of thought.

He woke up in the pale light of dawn, being shaken awake by Naruto. Looking around the camp, he noticed Sakura and Sasuke also just getting up, eyes seemingly tight as if neither had had much sleep. _Hmm._

Each of them went about their duties to get breakfast ready, which turned out to be a rather quiet business.

Finally, as the sun was just detaching itself from the horizon, they began packing up.

"Everybody almost ready?" Kakashi asked. "We're heading in an eastward direction until we reach the corner of the area we need to scout. We will then snake our way southwest the rest of the time, hopefully keeping the sun's glare behind us.

"Yesterday I explained we will be traveling in a square formation; I will be in the front left corner, Naruto front right, Sakura rear left, and Sasuke rear right." He turned to look at him and added, "Sasuke, don't feel like you need to use it if you want to conserve energy, but your Sharingan would most likely prove useful on this mission." He nearly rolled his eyes as all he received in reply was a grunt.

Travel was slow and boring. Nothing out of the ordinary was noticed so they continued on monotonously hour after hour.

Halting on a low branch around mid-afternoon, Kakashi noted an oddly-shaped tree, much smaller than the others in the forest and bent almost to the point where it created a circle out of itself. Not to mention it looked like it had been dead for a long while, but was not decaying. Honestly, it was probably just an odd tree, but he dropped to the ground to get a better look at it, with the other three following suit. Peering closer, he couldn't sense anything abnormal about it.

He reached out to touch it from the inside of the "circle" and disappeared.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto yelled. _What just happened? _There was no way this could've been some sort of trick. His sensei didn't make any hand seals; he didn't use a teleportation jutsu. He had been in front of them one moment and then absolutely nowhere the next.

He glanced to his left to find Sakura and Sasuke too stunned and confused to make any sort of noise.

"Guys, what just happened to Kakashi-sensei?" He called out again, "Kakashi-sensei! Where are you?"

Of course, there was no reply. _What could've happened?_ _He just reached out to touch the tree_, he thought as his own hand mirrored the action.

The hand of the person next to him slapped his away. "Do you want to disappear, too?" Sasuke hissed sharply. "Think before you act!"

"Yeah, sorry," Naruto laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his neck. He wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from Sasuke, but he figured he was just high-strung from the situation. Although he had been acting slightly off all day. Quieter. Maybe a glint of sadness in his posture. But Naruto had no explanation to back his observations up.

"Kai!" Sakura's fingers were still in the hand seal as she looked over at them. "It's not genjutsu. And there are no traces of chakra on this tree so I don't think this is any sort of jutsu." There was a silence as the three of them stood thinking. "Well, what do we do?" Sakura asked. "We can't just wait around for him to show up. We have virtually no information on the situation which is going to lead to a bad plan of action no matter what, unless we happen to get lucky."

Again a quiet pause, filled only with their swift breaths.

Naruto could really only think of one solution. "We could all go together," he suggested softly. Flinching slightly as his teammates whipped their heads around to give him incredulous looks, he explained, "I know! I know! But at least none of us will be left alone! Do you have any other ideas? We've got to hurry."

"Hn."

"Alright," Sakura consented. Slowly, the three of them reached out their hands and Naruto was sure his uncertainty was visible in his eyes.

There was no flash, no spinning, no sickening sensation, just a sudden change of scenery. One second they were in front of the tree, and the next they were not. Naruto turned his head to look over his shoulder, but could not see the tree anywhere. So they had not just gone through it; it had taken them somewhere.

Looking to his left, he was relieved to find both Sasuke and Sakura were with him. The area was still some sort of forest, but the trees were much sparser and the ground seemed less hilly. It didn't look like the fire country, although Naruto figured it was possible they were still in it. He hoped they still were.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto called, quieter than the last time, due to his wariness of where they found themselves. "Kakashi-sensei! Are you here?"

Sasuke had been quiet the whole time until his head turned in one direction and stated, "He's coming." Sure enough, Kakashi jumped down from a tree behind them, looking thoroughly relieved.

He sighed. "Ah, so you found me. Well, whatever's going on, I'm glad we're at least not separated." He looked at them each in turn. "Any idea where we are or how we get back? I haven't been able to locate any clues yet."

"I know it sounds too good to be possible," Sakura began, "but we could try finding the tree and seeing if we could go back the way we came."

"That does sound like the least we could start with," Kakashi agreed. "Let's split up and look for it, but stay within shouting range."

Naruto had just thought of something, though. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei? If that tree was in the area we're supposed to scout, do you think wherever we are now counts as land we should scout?"

"Hm, that's a good point, Naruto. I hadn't thought of that," Kakashi remarked, tapping his finger against the side of his face. "That's something I'll have to think about. First let's find the tree so we know we have the option of going back, then we can continue scouting this place if we decide to." Kakashi looked over at Sasuke who had been staring at the scenery with a blank expression and his hands in his pockets, only half listening to their conversations. "Sasuke? Is everything alright?"

Not moving but just shifting his eyes over to look at the man who spoke to him, he gave a small, affirmative grunt.

Naruto was a little worried about his friend. He had been acting differently and he knew it wasn't because of their situation; the change had started before then. Sakura was acting slightly off, too, but not as much. Since Sasuke had come home with them, he had opened up and softened up a substantial amount around them, but now he almost seemed like he was regressing back to his old habits. Naruto hadn't seen him this reserved and wilted since they had been in the hospital. It reminded Naruto of who Sasuke had been _before_.

But they were supposed to _fix_ Sasuke, not let him fall back into himself, his past, and his pain. Sighing, Naruto reminded himself that this wasn't something they could change in a few weeks. Sasuke was bound to hit rough patches and in those times when he had to pick himself up, all Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi could do was to be there for him, letting him know they wanted to help pull him back up.

He made a mental note to talk to Sasuke once they got out of this mess.

"We'll check a one mile radius and meet back here. Work quickly but check well."

"You don't need to tell us, Kakashi-sensei!" And with that they took off. It was a distinct tree so Naruto looked quickly, but saw no sign of it. On his way back, once everyone was back in view but not quite together, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Whipping his head around, he shouted to the others, "Armed man to my left!"

The four of them leapt together and took a defensive stance in the direction Naruto had seen something. And sure enough, behind a tree stood a man in some kind of primitive, minimalistic clothing, wearing long hair, and carrying a crossbow. They had never seen anything like him.

They had also not expected him to walk toward them speaking words they did not understand.

* * *

_He's totally unfazed by the fact that we're shinobi_, Sakura thought. He was walking toward them, waving his arm like he was greeting friends instead of strangers stumbled upon in the woods. She glanced over at her teammates who seemed as confused as she was, but none of them let their guard down. It was possible this was some sort of trap.

She tensed as he stopped a few feet in front of them, still speaking on and on. _It must be some other language. But how is that possible?_ He was getting louder and louder and it sounded like he was saying the same things over and over again. He must've been wondering why they weren't answering and maybe thought they couldn't hear. _Where are we? Something's really going on here_.

Kakashi was the first to respond. "Excuse me, but we don't understand you." He was going for the peaceful approach, and hoping he would switch languages when he heard them speak.

But no, he just tilted his head, confused. He said something else, to which Kakashi awkwardly responded, "Sorry, we don't know what you're saying."

The man closed his eyes and shook his head with a small smile. Half turning away from them, he beckoned them with his hand. He wanted them to follow him? _Well, at least he's resorting to hand signs now_.

Should they follow him? If he was nothing more than he appeared, he should be harmless. But what if this was a trick or if there were more of them? The four of them should still be able to take anyone on, but being cautious was good. She knew Kakashi was thinking along the same lines.

She looked over at Sasuke to see how he was taking this. She knew it was all her fault for his change in mood and she felt terrible. She also could tell Naruto and Kakashi noticed the change and probably connected it back to her. Sasuke was tense right now, but showed none of the curiosity that was evident in the rest of them. Of course, the apathetic mask was typical of Sasuke, but more of the old Sasuke. He had loosened up recently, but it was almost like her words to him last night had thrown him right back.

Why did she have to apologize then? _Ugh!_ But she knew why. Maybe it had been too early, but it had suddenly come to her mind, and it just felt right to put it out there. Sakura wanted to let him know that she did not hold anything against him, that she had forgiven everything he had done against her, that she was horrified at herself for planning to and almost killing him. How could she have? Of course, she understood her reasoning, but she was sad she couldn't have had as much faith as Naruto did then. Where would she be right now without him? What would have gone through his mind as he was dying slowly from the poison and the pain? Where would any of them be, actually? If Sasuke had died then and there by her hand, she was almost sure they would've lost the war against Madara.

So now she just wanted him to know that she deeply, strongly regretted what she had done. That it still mortified her. That it still ate her. That she wanted to make it up. That he didn't have to worry about any lingering negative feelings he may have thought she had. And, she hoped that if it was possible, he could forgive her. Maybe even know that she still loved him.

She wondered what his silence had meant last night and what he had been thinking about all day. It wasn't quite the reaction she had expected – although Sakura didn't know what she expected – and she didn't know what to make of it.

Kakashi broke her out of her thought. "We'll see where he takes us," Kakashi whispered, "but follow my lead, and be alert. Sasuke, Sharingan would be helpful." Instantly, Sasuke's eyes blazed red and they followed, slowly and carefully.

_He seems too overly friendly_. The man leading them seemed too friendly and comfortable with them. Every couple of steps we would look over his shoulder and give them a huge grin before facing ahead and continuing to walk. Sakura also wondered why he was wearing so little clothes when it wasn't very hot.

After walking about a mile, they came to a denser area of trees . . .

and a tiny village. Their eyes went wide. It was small and probably only had twenty houses, if you could call them that. Everything looked so primitive, from the basic log houses without doors that had branches for roofs to the simplicity of the layout.

And the people. There were more of them! Looking around, Sakura noted there were probably just about a hundred-fifty. All the men were dressed the same as the man who had found them, with just some sort of animal skin around their waist and handing down to just above the knee. They must've been hunters. The women wore simple dresses of the same material and had long, flowing hair. Children were everywhere.

As the five of them walked into the clearing, the man gave a shout, causing everyone to look in their direction. Elated grins grew on their faces as they all started speaking quickly in that odd language of theirs. The children rushed them, laughing and with open arms. Sakura didn't know what to make of it. They certainly looked very peaceful, but could they really trust them? Kakashi looked torn between thinking they were being taken prisoners of sorts or just welcomed as visitors of some sort of wilderness clan.

But as the jumping children closed in on them and the adults followed, all of them looking excited to have guests, Kakashi decided to let it go, that to show diplomacy and kindness would be safer in this scenario. Or at least for the time being.

Sakura felt a small hand grip her shirt and another take her hand, leading her into the village. She looked around and saw the joyful children clutching onto Naruto, Kakashi and even Sasuke. Naruto seemed ready to follow them willingly and Kakashi seemed alright with it, but Sasuke appeared extremely hesitant.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called out, breaking the silence that had lasted between them since the night before, "is everything alright?" He didn't say anything, but relaxed slightly and let the tiny hands pull him down the street.

The man who found them led the parading-like crowd down some sort of road towards the largest house, which was located at the end. Taking in her surroundings, Sakura saw gardens surrounded every house, tanned people of all ages, little contraptions she had never seen before laying out on the grass, and she noticed that everyone had dark hair. They must've been very surprised to see hers and Naruto's.

Once they came to the end of the road, which seemed to be the only one, they stopped in front of the large house, where the man they followed held up a hand, telling them to wait. He went inside.

After a minute of waiting with all the villagers behind them – although the children were still clingy – their guide came out of the house accompanied a kind-looking, middle-aged man. All the villagers bowed slightly when he appeared, leading Sakura and her teammates to think that this man must've been their leader.

* * *

Every petite finger that touched Sasuke felt like a needle to his soul. He didn't know why he cared, but for some reason he didn't like it. He had nothing against these children in particular, in fact, they seemed very sweet. If they were what they appeared to be, the whole village was very kind.

But that was the thing; not everything was as it seemed. If everything was going as Sasuke could tell, the villagers all thought they had stumbled upon four random, trustworthy, nice people in the woods and decided to invite them to their village as guests. Here were these children, little innocent children, holding his hands and his clothes, trusting him, excited about him.

He had killed people with these hands. He had killed his own brother and almost killed his best friends. There was a sword strapped to his back. They did not know what sights his eyes had seen and what things his mind had thought. And how many times had he been covered in other people's blood? The same went for Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura. They were shinobi. It was normal for them.

But Sasuke knew he was by far the worst in that matter. That was the life of a shinobi, and it was hard, and he had been wrong many times and right many times, but being next to these children who seemed to not understand what ninja were was totally different.

They didn't understand how dangerous he was, how cold he had become, even if he was trying to change now. He felt disgusting being touched and even looked at by them and that was not a feeling he knew how to deal with.

The worst part was that they all seemed so peaceful and happy. All the villagers seemed so loving.

Everyone seemed like one big family, and that was what hurt the most. They reminded him of his own clan when he was growing up.

* * *

**a/n:** Reviews are even more appreciated now that the story is taking a twist!

Okay, so about updating: the spring semester begins on Monday and I have a pretty full load, so I won't be able to update as often. But I still plan on posting once a week! I just can't quite guarantee any timing. But by no means does this mean I am putting my writing on hold! I still have a lot of ideas for the rest of the story so just hang in there with me please!

Also, for those of you who are dying for SasuSaku moments, I promise they are coming! I want this to be realistic and gradual, so that's why it may seem slow right now.

Thank you so much for your continued support! I'm very grateful to you all :)


	9. Regression and Growth

After many gestures and minutes, Sakura was vaguely sure Kakashi told them they would stay for a few days. Everyone began stomping, turning to each other and smiling. _Why are they stomping? They don't look angry . . . _she figured she had a lot to learn about their culture.

The leader waved them over to follow him and everyone else left them alone. One woman stood with him, though, and Sakura could tell by their body language that they were husband and wife. He walked over to an area where the ground was dirt instead of grass and picked up a stick from the base of a tree. Drawing in the dirt, he created a map of their village and began to try to explain it as best he could visually instead of verbally.

He drew a "T" which looked like it was the dirt road that was the center of the village. He dotted the sides with little dips for huts and a made a circle at the top of the "T" for his own hut. Drawing another circle to the right side of the T, he mimicked eating something and then pointed off to the side. Sakura turned around to look at the area he had tried to explain on the map and saw women around a fire, preparing food. _Ah, so that must be where they eat_.

The leader smiled, glad they understood him. Next, he pointed to them, moved his hands to his head like he was sleeping, and then pointed to his hut with the stick. He repeated the motions. _You. Sleep. Here._ So they were to be his guests during their stay. Sakura was getting more and more excited the longer they spent there.

She wanted to take this opportunity to take in everything about these people. They seemed so interesting and she wanted to learn about them and all their ideas and get to know them. This was definitely not an experience most people got to have during their lives – not that a lot of what she had experienced during her life was normal, either.

The man walked them over to something that resembled an outhouse and Sakura was immediately grateful for running water. Next, they followed him over to one of the gardens and he showed them the different spices and vegetables they were growing.

"Ah, none of these are medicinal." Sakura commented. "All the herbs are for seasoning food. I wonder what kind of healers they have here, if they have any." She looked over to Kakashi, who shrugged. Focusing back at the large, well-kept garden, she noticed a few foods she did not recognize.

The leader and his wife showed them around the rest of the town and anyone they passed bowed and smiled to their party. They all seemed so genuinely nice.

Finally, as the sun was setting and the fire was blazing in the eating area, they joined everyone for dinner. It was a village affair and everyone was gathered together. There was some sort of meat that had been cooked, and Sakura was surprised to notice there was enough for everyone. The vegetables, it seemed, had been pitched in from all the gardens. Everyone sat in a circle as roughly carved, wooden bowls filled with meat and vegetables were placed in front of them. A big bowl was shared by every five-or-so people and soon enough everyone was digging in.

Sakura sat with Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke, of course, and they were most certainly the center of attention. All the children kept running up to them to hand them some food and all the adults looked on to see what their reactions would be.

The shinobi tried to be very polite and there was a lot of food they were familiar with. They had green beans, potatoes, and carrots that were deliciously cooked. Sakura wondered how they cooked their food this well with only a fire and none of the regular kitchen appliances she was used to.

Sakura picked a yellow vegetable out of the bowl that was shaped like a perfect sphere and bit into it. It was spongy and tasted sweet just as her teeth sank into it, but then turned deliciously sour. The peppers added a lot of flavor to the meat, which was prepared in a way so she couldn't tell what kind it was.

Finally, when they were all full, they sky was as black as tar, and the children began nodding off, families started to walk to their huts. As each family left, they held hands, walking across the circle of villagers and into the darkness away from the fire. Family seemed very important here, Sakura picked up on, and it was beautiful to see.

She looked over at Kakashi to find him half asleep, sitting cross-legged with his elbow on his knee and his palm being the only thing supporting his lolling head. She then looked to her left to where Naruto and Sasuke were sitting. Both of them were staring at a family of five across the circle. Their smallest child, who looked no more than two, was asleep in the father's arms. The man's two older daughters were holding hands with their mother as they happily walked over to their hut, pointing joyfully at the stars which were so bright.

Both Naruto and Sasuke were watching them intently with a look in their eyes Sakura placed as longing. Family was so important to the two of them, not that it wasn't important to her or Kakashi, but Sakura's boys were special in that respect. Sakura wanted to say something to them, but she wouldn't know what to say to Naruto and she didn't know if Sasuke wanted her to talk to him just yet, so she stayed silent. She also figured she would leave them to their own thoughts, which they were no doubt immersed in. As the corners of their mouths turned up just a bit and their eyes became unfocused, Sakura knew they were thinking of good times with their families, not of regrets or tragic moments.

Soon their host and hostess lead them over to their hut. It was the first time they had been inside one and Sakura noticed there really wasn't much to it. First walking in, there was just a small, empty room that really only served as a link between the other two parts of the house. It was all connected, with the two rooms only partially sectioned off. To the right was a room with a few folded articles of clothing and contraptions laying on the floor. On the left was a bedroom; animal skins on the hard packed dirt made up beds and blankets and Sakura noticed there were only two beds.

She wondered about these people, if their kids had died or just had families of their own or maybe they never had kids in the first place.

Their hostess gestured kindly to the room on the right and led them into it, moving some of the clothes and picking up something that resembled a wooden flute to move out of their way. The room was barely large enough for the four of them to lay out their bedrolls, but they would make do sleeping snugly. All four of them bowed to their hostess to express their gratitude.

It wasn't an eventful night; Sakura lay awake with her eyes closed and she knew Kakashi was the only one asleep. She wasn't quite used to sleeping this early – the sun had set less than an hour ago – and she was still amazed at how the day had turned out. _Wait until I tell Shishou_, she thought with a smile.

"Psst. Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered. "You still up?"

"Mm."

He rolled over to face her and spoke even softer. "This is cool, huh?"

"Yeah," she whispered back. "I'm really excited about this!" Rolling over to face him, she added, "I never would've guessed the mission would turn out like this."

"Mm." They both rolled back onto their backs and laid in silence for a few minutes. Through the sticks that served as a roof, Sakura looked for stars as she listened to the breathing of the three men who changed her life. And were still changing it.

She rolled over to her other side, only to find a glint meet her, a glint from Sasuke's eyes. He was on his side, too, facing her and his eyes were watching her. She could hardly tell it was truly his eyes due to the darkness, but her heart began to speed up, pulsing in her ears, and she was glad the darkness could hide the sudden flush that took over her face.

There was so much she wanted to say to him about her comment from the night before, but she didn't know what to say and it was her uncertainty that was making her unable to shift her gaze.

"Sakura," Naruto began again after she and Sasuke had been staring at each other for a minute or so, "Do you think the three of us will have families of our own one day?"

At that, Sakura finally turned from Sasuke and rolled onto her back again. She thought before answering. "I think that would be nice, huh? But we're shinobi; our lives by definition are at risk and uncertain. So, I guess I don't really know." He didn't reply and she soon fell asleep without realizing it, wondering if Sasuke was still facing her.

She woke to someone gently shaking her shoulder. The grey light from the rising sun outside showed it to be her hostess, who crouched over her with a finger to her lips. Sitting up, Sakura rubbed her eyes and followed her out of the hut. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw all four men still asleep. All the other women, however, were up and making breakfast around the fire that they had abandoned the night before. Some of the women were bringing over fruits from their gardens and Sakura was brought to a group of women who were peeling potatoes.

They all smiled at her and handed her a few potatoes and a rough sort of knife. They were including her in their daily habits and the only way she could've been happier at the gesture was if she was more awake. Breakfast was soon ready and all the wives went into their huts to wake their husbands and children for breakfast. So Sakura sat alone by the fire, watching the flames flicker into and out of life. Amid her happiness to be among these people, she thought once again of other things that had almost flickered out.

Kakashi soon appeared beside her and sat on the ground, rubbing his eyes. Before really knowing what she wanted to say, she heard words find their way out of her mouth, "I can't pretend I know what I'm supposed to do." Kakashi patiently waited when she didn't explain what she meant. "You know, it's my fault he was more somber yesterday. The other night I apologized for trying to kill him and his reaction confused me and I don't know what I should do to fix it because I feel so bad and I wonder if he's okay or if I triggered something and, Kakashi-sensei, I'm so sorry for what I did and I just wanted him to know that but now I wish I could take it back or at least for a while, I mean, maybe we're not ready for those kinds of words yet." She sighed loudly, not expecting Kakashi to help her fix the issue, but at least by letting someone else know what had happened, she felt slightly less hopeless.

Neither of them spoke for a while as more people assembled around the fire for breakfast and the sky grew brighter and a more vibrant blue. When Kakashi spoke, his voice was as full of regret as hers just was, which surprised her. "Sakura, do you forget I tried to kill him, too?"

Her eyes shot open and she turned to look at her old sensei. Yes, she had forgotten he supported her, and in forgetting, she thought herself alone and their bond unrepairable. Maybe it was. But she knew Sasuke's bond with Kakashi was mending and being able to watch his relationship grow with someone else who had come to the same conclusion as her made it feel like there was hope for repairing her friendship with Sasuke, even though that still seemed a bit far-fetched.

She watched his dark eyes move and then turned her head to follow his gaze, now seeing Naruto and Sasuke walking toward them, Naruto half asleep and leaning on Sasuke.

"Sakura, I too regret that I wasn't as strong or as faithful as Naruto during that time. We can face the fact that he was stronger than us, but if we let the past cripple us, our relationships will never grow. Both of us honestly wish we had not done that, and I believe Sasuke knows. So now we need to focus on helping him out of his shadow. I think he is out of it, but it still follows him around, waiting for him to fall back on it. We have to be there to keep that from happening."

As some children left their parents to surround the guests and a fatigued Naruto and Sasuke sat down with them, Sakura inhaled deeply, and with her exhale, she verbalized her gratitude. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

Ready to eat breakfast, Sakura was taken aback when everyone around her sat in a large circle, as they had the night before, but their eyes were closed and they were all silent, even the children. It looked like they were meditating or something. She glanced at Naruto and her teammates who glanced back, just as unsure as she was. Since they had trouble communicating, they were doing a lot of blind following and had no explanations for things. So Sakura joined their pre-breakfast ritual, which she was glad lasted only about five minutes. The hungrier she became, the harder it was to sit still and she marveled at how well the children had behaved.

And so without further ado, everyone began to eat.

* * *

After the morning meal, Sasuke jumped into a tree to avoid spending time with any of the people. The men were taking Naruto and Kakashi hunting with them and from where he sat, he could see Sakura gardening with the women. Maybe one of the days he would join them, but today he had no mind to do so. All he wanted to do was be alone and think, maybe achieve a level of peace of mind.

Sakura's comment from the night before last and being around these people stirred something up in him that he wanted to get to the bottom of. He had always turned to hatred whenever he didn't know what else to do, but that didn't make sense in this case. He was angry and really sad and he couldn't make it go away, but he couldn't fuel it into anything else, either!

He had always been driven by hatred. He had honestly been in complete darkness during his attack on the Kage Summit. He knew Naruto thought there had been hope, and he had pulled Sasuke out sometime later, but no, there was a time he had been darkness. Susanoo was proof of that; it was the darkest technique, one that was born of an Uchiha's deepest hurt.

He briefly thought of Itachi. Itachi had awakened Susanoo but never had succumbed to darkness. Yes, he had known a shadow and deep sadness and sorrow, but he had never _become_ darkness. Not like he, Sasuke, had.

He suddenly felt a white-hot anger flare up inside of him. Hadn't he said that he had closed his eyes long ago, and that his only goal was in the darkness? Where did his resolve go? What was he even doing here? He stood up on the limb of the tree he had been sitting on and made to jump away. Quickly feeling bitter, he decided this was a perfect time to leave. He could leave and never come back. He could find something else to do, something more worthwhile than just sit with old acquaintances and spend time with random tribes in the woods. He had been so much more than this at one point in his life.

He jumped a few yards away onto another tree, heading away from the village. He jumped to another tree and then another, picking up speed as he went. He had no idea where he was or if he even needed to find the tree they came here by, but for right now he just wanted to get away. He didn't belong with them. He didn't deserve them, but a small, persuasive part of his mind told him _No, they don't deserve you_. Didn't they remember who he was? The world knew who he was! The rest of the shinobi world knew how powerful he was and how capable he was. He shouldn't be wasting his time following people around like some sort of lost lamb. He didn't need them.

He stopped on a tree just over two miles from where he had eaten breakfast that morning. He suddenly felt tired and mentally weary. He felt invisible, tiny fingers pulling his hands and shirt back in the direction he had just come from. He saw a family, who had so little, happily staring at the stars together as they walked back to their hut. He felt a weight press itself against his shoulder, right where Naruto had let his blond head droop that morning. He saw a glint of green eyes shrouded by darkness that stared right through him. And then he felt two fingers jab his forehead, which made his eyes itch. He responded by his hand erupting with a chidori and slamming it into the tree. He glowered intensely.

He hated them.

He hated them all for trying to save him. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? He didn't need saving! Why did people love him anymore? Didn't they see it was a waste?

Slowly he turned around on the destroyed tree – that just a few minutes ago stood tall and strong, but the trauma his chakra had inflicted upon it had degraded it to a pile of dying pieces. If the thought that he was like that tree in a way had gone through his mind, he didn't reflect upon it before leaping onto another tree, heading back to the village.

Sometimes he felt so young, but many times he felt so old. He had seen so much, done so much. He wondered if Itachi ever felt like this. He probably did. Age often meant little in a world where abilities spoke. He was one of the most powerful ninjas alive and he relished the power and confidence it gave him. But sometimes he felt like he was so small, so inexperienced. Only recently, though. And it was usually pertaining to normal people things. And usually when he was with Naruto and Sakura. He knew how to love and enjoy people, or at least he had when he was seven. That was a long time ago and most people grew since then, but he didn't know if what he had been doing could be considered 'growing'. Did he really care, though, that when he was with other people and not sparring or fighting, he felt somewhat stunted? Probably not. But then again, maybe.

Changing was part of his plan; it was something he told himself he was going to do when he left the hospital a few weeks ago. So learning how to not always be in ninja mode or Uchiha mode would be something he should work on.

And anyway, did he still have the ability to love? His ability to love was what made him hate, so if he could still hate that meant he could still love, right? There was the "Uchiha Curse" that he would always be doomed to hatred, and he had been one of the most prominent examples of that. But was that for certain his fate, regardless of whether or not he wanted to change it?

Itachi, the answer was always with Itachi. Itachi hadn't been overcome by hate but had so much power. He had gone through so much pain, developed his Mangekyou and even Susanoo, had endured so much pain, but didn't turn to hatred. Hatred was always a choice, it had always been.

When he had to leave Konoha or stay, he chose hatred. Each time he met Sakura or Naruto since then, he chose hatred. When he found out the truth about Itachi and could follow his wishes or avenge him, he chose hatred.

It was so clear now. Sure, he had always known that every action, every thought, was produced from a choice; but when he chose to become an avenger, he also thought that meant everything else was already decided. He figured that his original choice had included all the ones to follow and that it was too late to make a different choice, not the he really wanted to at the time.

Did he regret it now? _I seem to be asking myself that every day_, he mused wryly. Many things he did not regret, but he understood there were also many choices he could have made better. He concluded it was beneficial at least that he could reflect now, but what purpose would it serve if it couldn't help him now? He had thought about so many things, but still felt so lost, or at least unsure of what to do. He felt like he was thinking in circles, that he wasn't going anywhere.

But he just fit when he was with them. Even if he was unsure of it, he knew he was holding onto them, his teammates, his friends.

In his period of deepest darkness, there hadn't been even a single ember of light inside of him. They, however, breathed air continually – maybe they doubted, but they never gave up – into him until there was a spark, a match to his heart, and then they fanned the spark until it was the smallest of flames. And they kept fanning it in the hopes that it would grow. It was rather symbolic considering that his clan's symbol – the uchiwa fan – was meant to strengthen the heat of flames and make them grow.

He had been a strong fire growing up, but ever since he decided to fan the strength of his hatred instead, his fire had been burning out, slowly dying into nothing. Darkness was inevitable with that choice. But now he was choosing differently, working on fanning his flame back into giving light and they were taking his hand and leading him out of the darkness. It felt weird for Sasuke to think in such gentle terms, but honestly, that was what it felt like. Yes, it was uncomfortable, but it was happening and that was what he guessed he wanted.

And with each tree he pushed his strong legs off of, he felt another wave of the fan and a small, weak passion begin to be kindled. It was hardly anything noticeable and nothing enough to change him yet.

Arriving back at the tree he had first jumped on to avoid the villagers, he sat down once more, watching the activity going on beneath him. Little kids were still playing in their bare feet, old men were sitting and discussing matters in the sun, and Sakura was still gardening and getting covered in dirt with the other women. The dirt from this distance made her skin look much darker so that it made him feel like he was looking at someone else. That pink hair only went with one skin color as far as Sasuke was concerned.

He figured he would have to talk to her soon, and while he was dreading it because he still didn't know what to say, he truly wanted to talk to her. He wanted to work this out and come to an understanding so they could move on. He knew she wanted that, too, and he needed her on good terms with him. How else was he supposed to open his eyes to the light again?

* * *

**a/n: **I thought I would end up making chapters a little shorter with my decrease in time to write, but this chapter ended up being a little longer, which I think is good.

I would really appreciate reviews :) Let me know your opinions. It was harder to write from Sasuke's point of view after the new manga chapter came out on Wednesday!


	10. Friends, Brothers

**a/n:** **SPOILER ALERT! **Okay, so just a heads up for this chapter: I implemented some things from chapter 662, so if you don't want big spoilers, I suggest getting up to date on the manga before you read this. I plan to keep this story as consistent with the actual story as possible, so expect to haveto read all the new chapters before reading each update. Enjoy!

* * *

The men had come back from hunting just after noon and in time for the lunch the children had prepared. It was odd, Sasuke thought. It seemed that the women had made dinner and breakfast, but from what he saw in his tree, it was actually the children who made their midday meal without any help from the adults. Jumping down, he figured it made enough sense, though. It wasn't like it was that hard.

"Where were you, Sasuke?" Naruto yelled, seeing him and running over. "It was so cool!" Sasuke just shrugged and Naruto went on to describe everything he had missed, from the handmade weapons they used, to how long they had to sit still, to how he could have done a better job than this one man if Kakashi had let him have a try.

Smirking, he followed Naruto over to where everyone was about to eat. "You should come with us tomorrow, Sasuke! Okay?"

"Yeah, sure," he submitted, sitting down next to their host and picking up a sweet-sour fruit. He didn't mind, really. He'd have to go with them sooner or later. Who knew, anyway? It might be diverting.

They enjoyed a quiet lunch together with some light chatter and sunshine. At one point when everyone was wrapping up, two little kids, probably no older than six, ran up to Sasuke, who had just stood up, and hugged him. One grabbed his wrist and the other grabbed the bottom of his shirt and they started to pull him over to where other kids were playing, delightfully spouting words he couldn't understand. He glanced back to Sakura and Naruto who were watching with smirks on their faces. He didn't know how to play with kids! They should be helping him, not just watching!

After dragging him halfway to their destination, he found his strength and stopped. He had suddenly remembered jumping onto Itachi the moment he came home from the academy and asking him to play. Playing by himself was only so entertaining; he loved playing with his brother and would clutch onto the fabric of his clothes with the most excited smile, not allowing Itachi to move until he agreed to play hide and seek or some similar game. He had to close his eyes when he compared himself then to the intense focus of hatred he had cultivated, to how twisted and bloodthirsty he was when he found Itachi at the Uchiha hideout.

And these kids wanted to _play_ with him. He was about to yank his arm away when Sakura yelled, "Go on, Sasuke-kun! Play with the kids or else they'll cry!" Sasuke shot her a nasty glare over his shoulder before looking down at the two children still struggling to pull him over to the rest of their friends. He didn't exactly have the heart to be rough with them at the moment. But the tables turned because soon enough, the other children took notice of what was going on. They thought he _was_ playing with them, that his resisting was his idea of a game. So in no time, a dozen kids aged four to nine were jumping on, pulling, and yanking Sasuke in various directions before succeeding in tackling him to the ground.

Closing his eyes, he thought, _this is not what I had in mind when I decided to come back_.

Kids flopped down all around him, joining him on their backs, panting and laughing from their recent exertion. Their laughter did something to him, almost pushing his annoyance to the side and bringing a smile to his face . . . almost.

"Need a hand?" Opening his eyes, Sasuke squinted up against the sun to see Naruto holding out his hand in an effort to pull him up.

They were best friends. They did best friend things. Like this.

He grabbed Naruto's hand and was halfway onto his feet before the children attacked again, knocking Sasuke onto his back once more and making Naruto fall diagonally on top of him over his stomach.

"Ouch! Get off, moron!" Sasuke growled. But the kids would not have it; they jumped and piled onto the NarutoSasuke sandwich until groans and laughter and shrieks could be heard all across the village. Sasuke's annoyance grew slightly as parents pointed and laughed at their children's antics.

Sakura appeared in his line of sight, laughing so hard she was clutching her sides. "I wish I could get a picture of you guys! You look _hysterical_!"

Despite hardly being able to breathe, Naruto laughed loud and hard. Taking in his situation, Sasuke couldn't help it. He smiled. It was small, but it was real. And it was healing.

The innocence of kids was magical.

By the time the children had dispersed, Sakura had disappeared once again so Sasuke was left with Naruto. "Our lives are pretty unique, aren't they?" Naruto asked him as he took a seat at the base of a tree and leaned against it with a sigh.

Sasuke snorted at the understatement as he sat leaning against another tree, facing Naruto. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Naruto spoke quietly. "We had the experience of our childhoods and the experience of last few years, and we still find ourselves doing normal things like playing with little kids." He paused and then added, "Not to mention that both of us should have died about a dozen times already. Yet we're still here."

_Ahh, so he does feel it, too_, Sasuke mused.

How many times had Susanoo, the darkest Sharingan technique, saved his life? It was being in darkness that put him in danger, but darkness that saved him when he was almost killed.

He thought of all the times he should've died: his fight with each the Kages at the Summit should have left him dead, he should have dissolved from Deidara's bombs, Haku's senbon could have killed him, adjusting to Orochimaru's curse seal could have killed him, Obito could have killed him, he almost died being stabbed by Killer Bee's seven blades, fighting Gaara after the Chuunin Exam could've finished him, and Danzo definitely could have taken his life. He had come close to death a remarkable number of times. There were two times that stood out more than the others, though. One was when Sakura had the opportunity to stab him with her poisoned kunai and the other was when Madara stabbed him in the heart with his own katana.

The first of those two stood out because it had actually been someone he knew, someone he had been close to once who had tried to kill him. It didn't do anything to him then, but looking back, it really haunted him. The time Madara ran a katana through his chest was most definitely the closest he had ever come to dying, though. Sasuke had come so close to leaving this world. And that was it. Ever since he decided to help the Shinobi Alliance and become Hokage, he had changed. But being moments away from death, from leaving everything behind, from being so close to death after all he had been through and all he still hadn't done, that was when his resolve steeled.

He should have died. But each time something had kept him alive – it may have been from quick thinking, teammates, his powers, or God himself - but he survived this far and that meant it wasn't time for him to die. Maybe he deserved to die, but he hadn't, so all he could assume was that this was his second chance.

Second chance to do what? Change the Shinobi system? Make up for all his mistakes? Was that even possible? How many of his actions did he admit were mistakes? The ones he regretted? The ones that disappointed his teammates? The ones that were born of hatred? Was this a second chance to make him grow out of his hatred? Move on from his hatred? Overcome it? Regret it?

Vengeance wasn't any more visible or rewarding than love, so why was it easier for him to live for? _I always live for the invisible_, he though, but then, _No, family is very visible, people are very visible. They are what I have always lived for_.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied eventually. He knew he needed patience to achieve any goal; that was something he was good at. So if he wanted to change himself or make a change in the world, he would have to be diligent and patient. "I guess we still have stuff to do."

"Mhm," Naruto agreed. Cracking one eye open, he looked at Sasuke. "Speaking of which, you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Naruto thought for a minute before answering slowly. "You're different. Since yesterday morning. You've been quieter and . . . more thoughtful the last two days. Any particular reason?"

A chidori through her back and a poisoned kunai through her ribs.

How easily had he sent lightning right through Karin, basically killing her? What was just another teammate? Did it get easier after the first one? Was that it? Somehow being with Naruto made Sasuke feel a little detached and calmer, like he could look back with a kind of apathy now and reflect on himself.

When he had 'killed' Karin, he was so focused on the fact that he had killed a man for his brother, that in his darkness he couldn't even see that he had killed a teammate. He was aware of it and did it purposefully, but he didn't even register her as a teammate in that moment.

But when they had met again in Konoha after he decided to go to the battlefield, a 'sorry' slipped out of his mouth without a problem. He said it just like that. He apologized for killing her and that was it. Why wouldn't that work for Sakura? Sure, he was a lot closer to Sakura than he was to Karin, but shouldn't that make it easier?

It made no sense to Sasuke. "Shut up, Naruto. It's fine. I can handle it." He didn't know exactly why he was feeling a little hostile, but he didn't know how to explain, even to his best friend, and needed another way to vent.

"Aha!" Naruto sat up and pointed. "So there is something!" Leaning back against the tree, this time with his arms behind his head, he added with a cheeky grin, "See, I know you."

There it was – that assumption that Naruto knew him. It confirmed his sneaking suspicion that once Sasuke chose their side, once he came back, he really got rid of any need to apologize formally. They had been close before, whether the three of them were sure of it or not. Their actions spoke and just fighting alongside each other had been enough to read each other's hearts. They had already come to a nonverbal understanding and Sakura and Naruto had already forgiven him. And as far as they were concerned, Sasuke couldn't think of anything they needed to be forgiven for.

It was because Sasuke loved them that he left Konoha, but it was because he had loved Itachi more than them. Not at that moment, but before. He chose his loving older brother over them, not to mention his mother, father, cousins, aunts, uncles, and other friends that made up his clan.

It hurt him to decide to leave, but once he allowed himself to indulge in darkness he soon became consumed with other bonds, so much so, that he had almost been glad to plunge his arm through Naruto's shoulder – Sasuke's arm had been _through_ Naruto's lung, his veins, his flesh and bones – or hold him under the water – waiting for the boy he loved to run out of oxygen and open his mouth to let the water fill his lungs and suffocate him.

He had relished the power the curse mark gave him and it filled his soul to the point where there was little room left for bonds. Sasuke was finally able to beat Naruto in a fight and not only was it something he had wanted to do for a long time, but taking it a step further and killing him would actually bring his goal of revenge closer. But always there was something about Naruto's persistence that prodded the seed of doubt that was in him. Each time they met since his defection, Sasuke had tried to kill him, but something Naruto would say to him would make him feel the slightest bit uneasy, and though he tried to push it away, Naruto succeeded in getting to him every time.

Team Seven had taught him something, what it meant to be a team. When he was trying to capture the Hachibi, and all his teammates were doing their best to keep him alive, Sasuke remembered his first team. Because of that, because he remembered the sacrifice a team gives out of love, even though he was almost out of hope at the time, he had been able to pull off an emotional Amaterasu that saved Taka.

* * *

Smiling knowingly at Sasuke's silence, Naruto told him, "Your love for your clan has put you through a lot, but my love for you has put me through a lot, too." He thought back to when he passed out in the snow because he was at a loss for what to do about Sasuke.

Sasuke looked up at him, the smallest hint of shock visible on his face. "How can you say it so easily . . . that you love me?"

Well that wasn't something Naruto really thought much about. "I don't know. You're my friend, my brother. I care about you a lot and I love you and I know we both know it . . . so I guess it just doesn't feel like I'm doing anything big by saying it." He shrugged as if to emphasize his point.

Gaara had told Naruto that if Sasuke got in the way of the Alliance, he wouldn't show mercy. All Naruto could think was _but this is my _friend _we're talking about, and he'll be _dead_. Yes, he's made bad choices, but I know I can save him. It's just a matter of what he will do before then. He's my _friend_. I _love_ him. He's my _brother_, my _family_. How can I just sit by and watch this? I need to get through to him, need to work even harder, but I can't control him. I have no guarantees anything I do will help_. But that was the only thought process he had needed to spur him on to keep trying.

"So," Sasuke began, searching for the right words, "do you think that if I think the same way, it will be as easy for me, too?" Naruto could tell this was awkward for him so he tried to make the situation lighter.

"Heh, it's okay, Sasuke-chan. You don't have to worry about telling me. I already know you feel the same about me."

Oh, if looks could kill . . .

"Shut up, Naruto! That's not what I'm talking about. Forget it, alright?"

"Nope, tell me or else you'll just be a pain the rest of this mission."

There was a long pause, during which Naruto waited patiently, and then finally, "The other night Sakura brought it up, the time we almost killed each other." Understanding dawned on Naruto's face. "She apologized, but I didn't know what to say, so I just walked away."

"Teme!" Naruto shouted, throwing a stick at him. "You can't do that to Sakura-chan!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke sneered, catching the stick and throwing it back. "I know that. Stop being annoying. If I told you, that means you have to help, not just be an idiot about it. I know it should be easy to fix since it's Sakura, but for some reason it's hard."

Naruto caught the stick and held his arms up in defense, laughing. "Alright, alright." Sasuke was asking for help, something Naruto couldn't remember him ever doing before. This was important, even more so if their teammate was involved. What could he do to help? Explain?

"First of all, Sasuke, I want you to know that I've dreamed about this a lot of times each day and every day for years, to be able to talk to you like this. I'm so happy," he choked on the last sentence, forced to look down as his vision turned blurry from a few unshed tears.

He wiped his eyes, next, focusing on his teammates. "It's not that she ever really doubted you," he told Sasuke, "but I think Sakura-chan turned herself off to view the situation as an outsider – what she would've done if she meant nothing to you and if you meant nothing to her. I think she was trying to be strong in a way by going against herself. I think she knew it wasn't really strength, though. It hurt her a lot to see you in that state and she wanted to stop you from delving further into evil." He paused to let that sink in before continuing in a quieter voice. "I never could turn myself off, though. There were plenty of times that I wondered what was going on or I didn't understand what you were doing anymore. But I couldn't view the situation from a bystander's perspective. Itachi asked me once if I could kill you to save Konoha, but my answer was that I would save both." Naruto smiled in recollection. "Itachi told me the world didn't work that way, but it was all I could get myself to accept. You have the best brother, Sasuke! But so do I!" Naruto finished happily as a childish grin spread over his face.

"I think Sakura-chan thought she'd help me feel better by trying to get rid of the burden of my promise to bring you back. She was tired of leaving it up to me and thought she'd help, instead. But we both know how much she regrets it."

Sasuke didn't say anything. Naruto was a little worried over how he would take this, but he knew it was good he was hearing it.

Sasuke's intent to kill had been real, but it was different because he was darkness then. Back when they found Orochimaru's layer, Kabuto told him that people change, and just as how Sasuke was once no longer the Sasuke they knew, Naruto was sure he had changed again. They had forgiven him, but they were the ones who claimed to be in the light yet lost hope, so it was really their fault. He even told Sasuke the last time they met before the war that what he had been doing was understandable. They had similar childhoods, though drastically different, but Naruto had always looked up to Sasuke. There had always been a bond.

Kakashi had told Naruto that before he arrived at the scene, Sasuke told Kakashi and Sakura that he would give up his vengeance if he had his father, mother, brother, and clan back. Of course they couldn't give him that. So they had given him the only things they could, themselves. They sacrificed themselves to save him and take care of him and bring him back. Sasuke wanted those he loved and he got those he loved, even if they were not originally who he asked for. In the long run, that had been part of the reason why he stopped being consumed by revenge.

"Sasuke, the Uchiha are a people greatly devoted to love and friendship. I know your bond with Sakura-chan is durable and tight. If you both want to work it out, it'll happen. It's when you hold back and doubt your friendship that it can't grow. My friendship with you has made me, if anything, a man of faith, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You guys are the best!"

* * *

**a/n: **Reviews are unexplainably appreciated. I think some time I should take a video of my reaction whenever I get a review. I'm ridiculous.

I'm positively devastated by the events in chapter 662, which made it hard to write this chapter, but I still have _some _hope, I guess. All we can do is wait now!


	11. Hugs

It wasn't going to happen. Sakura had tried all day, but with no success, to learn the language of the tribe. Sure she had learned a few words, like what they named the fruits or called the huts or fire, but she could discover nothing that would help to actually _communicate_ with them. As it turned out, if her team wanted to gather any information on where they were, asking their hosts would do no good.

She had spent the majority of the day helping the families do chores and once they were done, she watched half a dozen kids play a certain game. Sakura was trying to figure out how it worked. It seemed that two people would stand by the fire pit while the rest started crawling away from them on their stomachs. After the crawlers had reached a certain distance, the two by the fire pit would yell something to them. At that moment, the kids crawling would jump to their feet, turn around, and hop back toward the fire pit. When all of them were together again, they spun around in circles until they all fell onto the grass, giggling and rolling around. Sakura couldn't tell if there were any winners or losers, but as long as they were having fun, she thought she could understand why they played such a game.

After she helped start the fire and started peeling potatoes, she couldn't help but wonder where Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke were. She hadn't seen any of them since lunch, and while she was sure they were fine and having no trouble entertaining themselves or keeping themselves occupied, Sakura would have liked to see them around a little more.

But it would soon be dinner so she would see them soon anyway. She could wait another hour. Being with these people was phenomenally interesting for her. It had been almost exactly twenty-four hours since she had arrived and she had already learned so much about them and their way of life. There were two girls about her age who were some of the sweetest people she had ever met. They stayed by her a lot of the time to help her with something new or show her some other object of interest with enthusiastic eyes.

As expected, the rest of Team Seven showed up just in time for dinner, casting long shadows on the ground as the evening was winding down.

"Honestly, where were you guys all day? I'm really enjoying this but a familiar face every once in a while does a person good!" she expressed to them when they sat by her.

"Oh, don't worry," Kakashi began with a hidden smile, "we had fun and that's all that matters."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Sakura-chan, that you weren't invited!" Naruto declared smugly, making Sasuke smirk.

"Fine, keep your secrets." She had no idea what they were talking about, but if they were going to resist telling her, then she would at least enjoy her dinner. And with that, she took out her curiosity by biting slightly aggressively into a carrot.

They sat mostly quiet, listening to the discussions around them and enjoying the happy, gentle atmosphere and the darkening scene.

At one point during the meal, Sakura turned her gaze onto Sasuke to find that he had already been looking at her. She tilted her head, nonverbally asking him if anything was going on, but all she got in reply was him hardly noticeably shaking his head once and averting his eyes to the fire. She wasn't blind to the fact that there was tension between them at the moment, but still, Sasuke didn't have to be looking at her like that if he didn't want to. So what reason could he have to justify the intense emotion with which he was looking her way? Did he want to open up to her? Sure she hoped that was probable, but she shoved the idea to the side quickly and tried to think of something less uncertain.

She knew Sasuke was compatible with fire, having a Katon elemental affiliation, but she thought he was a bit like fire, too. Fire had the power to save or destroy, could be perfectly warm or blistering hot, and no matter how much you wanted to, you couldn't get close to it. If it was very weak, perhaps you could, but it was never a good idea to get close enough to touch it. It would not let you get away with that without getting burned.

When he was strong and bent on destruction he seemed evil, but when he appeared weaker and quieter it seemed obvious that he was just human and mislead. Although, she supposed, that may have applied to people in general. But Sasuke was by no means a defeated man.

Fire was also beautiful and mesmerizing. Sakura watched the shadows dance across his figure as the last bit of sunlight left the village. The flames licked away the onyx of his eyes, turning them a fiery orange. When she saw his brow furrow and his lips press into a thin line, she thought of how sorry she was. A sorry would never suffice, not for a crime of her caliber, but if saying it or doing anything could thread their bond back together, she would have it done. They had come so far, but still Sakura longed for a day when she and Sasuke would be close friends again. They were friends now, but they still had some issues to clear up.

Maybe she should seek him out to talk; even if he didn't want to talk to her, she had enough to say to him. But then again, maybe it was better to wait; maybe he would talk when he was ready – and that was assuming he even wanted to fix this.

She sighed deeply and tilted her head up to look at a single star twinkling just above the horizon. She suddenly felt substantially fatigued and wondered when she could curl up and fall asleep. Soon enough, the families started heading to their huts, holding hands and waving goodnight to everyone.

With difficulty, Sakura stood and turned with a forced smile to her team. "Sorry, guys, but could you excuse me early? I'd like to go to bed."

"Are you feeling alright, Sakura?" Kakashi asked concernedly.

"I'm fine, sensei, just tired," she lied.

As she walked away, she heard someone running to catch up with her. "Are you sure everything is okay, Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah, Naruto, I'm okay." She turned to face him, planning on another fake smile, but when her eyes met his and she saw the genuine care and earnestness etched on his face, her armor cracked and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. "I'm fine," she explained heavily, thankful for someone to talk to. ". . . I just get impatient sometimes."

"Of course, Sakura-chan," Naruto accepted, hugging her back. He knew what she was referring to. "We all do sometimes." When she didn't let go after a few moments, he continued. "I talked to Sasuke today. He told me what you said to him the other night."

Sakura tensed, not really expecting them to have talked about that, but after she thought about it for a moment, wasn't surprised. "Really?" was all she could get herself to reply quietly, her tone asking for more details.

"Uh huh, and I don't want to say anything else – this is between the two of you – but if I can suggest something, I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, Sakura-chan. I love you both so much and from what I can tell, I know you'll have it sorted in no time!" Naruto ended cheerfully, trying to influence her mood. And it worked slightly. Naruto was the best person she had ever known and she was hugely grateful to be friends with him.

"Thanks, Naruto," she told him, giving him a quick squeeze before finally pulling away. "I'm so glad you're my friend. I'm so glad we were put on the same team together. You're the best!" And she smiled, because she meant every word of what she just said, and she could tell he knew.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so glad _you're_ my friend. _I'm_ so glad we were put on the same team together. _You're _the best!"

True friendship was an amazing thing.

Without another word, because none other was needed, Naruto turned to join Sasuke and Kakashi by the fire, and Sakura walked back to their host's hut, still tired and ready for bed, but feeling much stronger at heart.

* * *

Sasuke woke feeling more refreshed and clear minded than he had in a while. The sun was shining a burnt yellow and through the many oddly-shaped cracks in the roof, the sky was cloudless and the color of rivers. He remembered his encouraging talk with Naruto the day before and vowed to be more positive on this new and promising day. After Naruto's monologue, they had sat quietly for a long while, thinking their own thoughts before beginning to discuss a completely inconsequential topic.

He also thought back to Sakura's behavior at dinner, only about a dozen hours ago. Not realizing he was staring at her, he had been pondering what he would say to her in reply to her apology if he got the chance. If he didn't get a chance, a part of him told him he better _make_ a chance because an apology from his end was overdue.

But she had discovered him staring while he was even unaware of the fact he was doing such an action, and Sakura seemed mildly affected by the exchange, if it could even be called that. Sasuke wasn't stupid; he understood he was probably the indirect instigator of her going to bed early. He understood he was probably the indirect instigator of a lot of her actions.

And he would be in denial if he didn't say that he felt disappointed or that he had lost an opportunity when Naruto ran up to talk to her. It was his problem, so why did he keep leaving room for Naruto to jump in and help the two of them out?

And then Sakura had hugged him. Sasuke wasn't at all close, but he could see by the light of the fire the emotion and love with which they had physically consoled each other. A part of him felt warm to see such pure expressions of friendship in a world he had recently considered all darkness. Yet, another part of him felt like that should have been _his_ hug. Wasn't he the one who needed rehabilitation – yes, Sasuke was reluctantly willing to admit that that may have been a word for it – who still needed some cleansing from his own mind?

Sasuke wasn't one for much physical contact; everyone knew that. But that may not have been the case in all honesty. He loved piggy back rides with his older brother, loved tackling him when he found him in hide and seek, and loved Itachi's two-fingered poke to the forehead. He loved cuddling with his mother, hugging her, being kissed goodnight by her, and secretly enjoyed holding her hand when they went for walks. His hand had been much smaller than hers then.

Yes, he needed his teammates, and they _told_ him they needed him, which he _did_ believe, but he supposed having some sort of physical confirmation of being needed, of having the warmth and assurance of love and friendship and loyalty forever and together was valuable, maybe priceless, in its own way. A hug was opening yourself to someone and them opening themselves to you. He knew that maybe it didn't mean all that much, but he was aware it held some power.

In the end, Sasuke decided hugs probably didn't matter, as long as he himself knew how much she meant to him. Of course, not in _that_ way, but as a team member and important person to him. But those kinds of ideas just didn't naturally occur to him. He had only cared about familial love. If he had ever had a chance of feeling _that_ way towards Sakura, it would have had to be when they were on the same team together. But he was twelve then, and not old enough really to think about those things, even if she did. He cared for her as a teammate and a person who was spending a lot of time in his life, he guessed, and figured it just wasn't his path no matter what he would have felt.

It did not strike Sasuke as odd that he was thinking about the chances of him returning Sakura's feelings years ago. He was wondering detachedly, not really thinking if it was a possibility, but just . . . thinking.

He turned from where he lay on his back, facing the wonderful view of the heavens, to look at Sakura's empty bedroll on his left, unmade because taking the effort to tidy up may have awoken someone on either side of her.

A few short moments later brought their hostess into their room to wake them up for breakfast and all Sasuke's thoughts passed from his mind.

After breakfast, which was a pleasant affair, Naruto reminded Sasuke of his promise the day before to go hunting with them, so not too long after, Sasuke found himself with Kakashi, Naruto, and about two dozen other men and boys his age. Sasuke had brought his katana, but the other men only had bows and a quiver of arrows. He had been a good archer, too, but hadn't trained much since he became a Genin.

They crept along with hardly a sound – the footsteps of the tribesmen were not as silent as the shinobi's – until the first animal was found. There were five, in fact. To Sasuke's left, about ten meters away half-hidden behind a thick, dark tree trunk, were four large rabbits, slowly hobbling around. The other animal was just ahead about sixty meters, a doe with her back to them, eating leaves off a low bush.

A few of the men stopped to shoot the rabbits, but the rest had their attention on the doe. Sixty meters was too far with such dense foliage and sneaking up on a deer was no easy task.

Hunting with them reminded Sasuke of the time he tagged along on Itachi's mission where they had to shoot the monstrous, wild boar. Thinking of it almost made him smile at first, but then he remembered the last time he had fought alongside his brother and immediately his happy feeling was suppressed. Would that never go away? Was he always doomed to sad memories? Sure, he had happy ones, but for some reason, they never seemed to be the dominating ones. Could he get that to change? He had resolved that today would be a good day, and so, with some difficulty, he forced a corner of his mouth up and reminded himself he was grateful he even got to fight with his brother again and set everything right.

"Woah! Wasn't that cool?" Sasuke realized Naruto was whispering excitedly to him and, looking around, noticed that a few of the men had managed to sneak up on the deer and bring it down. He had missed it.

"Yeah," he lied. Then thinking, he asked, "That's not going to be enough, though. Right?"

"Right. Yesterday we got an elk, a boar, and a few rabbits. There are a lot of people to feed, no?"

"Aa." Sasuke nodded in agreement. It was interesting, hunting with them for the remainder of the morning, and he figured he enjoyed it to a degree.

Maybe it wasn't so much of getting rid of his bad thoughts, but just managing them. His life wasn't something he could just waste being wary or uncertain of how to proceed. Life was a gift; his parents had always taught him that. It was a gift, but everyone had a task to do during their life. Was his task over? Sasuke never thought of himself as one who would ever have an existential crisis, and it wasn't like he was having one now – not really – but what was his job? Yes, becoming someone his brother could be proud of, being a shinobi, and fixing the ideals of the shinobi system, but it was beyond that. What did accomplishing those _mean_?

After stabbing Sasuke and leaving him to die, Madara had told him that the fact Sasuke had his eyes was the proof that he had lost many things. But then Madara had followed that up by explaining it was also the proof that he had been looking for something. Madara had hit some truth there. Absolutely he had lost many things, many dear things. But Sasuke had also been looking for something. It wasn't fulfillment of vengeance because he had _been_ vengeance and had still been looking. It wasn't a conscious looking for whatever, but more like he was unconsciously looking for some way to love. Losing his love sent him spiraling and that was how he coped. But, it must not have been a good enough path if he was still looking to love.

They were almost back to the village now, but Sasuke kept thinking, unaware that Naruto was talking to him and Kakashi. And seemingly out of nowhere, Sasuke had an interesting idea.

Maybe his task now was to be life giving, to express of the gift of life as love towards others. He had the freedom to choose, of course, if that idea sounded bad to him. However, if the idea sounded enticing, he could empty himself of his hatred and fill himself with love for others – something that may have sounded sappy, but it was true – it didn't have to be gushy, he would just give back to people he loved. The Sharingan was proof that he and the Uchiha were not stoic people at their cores, but on the contrary, very emotional people. Sharingan took strong emotion to awaken and were a sign of pride and strength. And he did have people he loved, so it made sense he would want to give back to them. Once, outward signs of love from him had faded basically to the point of nonexistence, but that meant they must have before been brighter and clearer.

Living for love seemed like a very Uchiha thing to do.

Now how exactly did one actually carry that out?

"Hey!" Sasuke was broken out of his questioning by a slap to his face. "Are you going to eat anything or are you on some kind of stupid diet?"

"Oi, Naruto! What was that for?" he snapped, glaring at the boy who had just brought him back to reality and rubbing the side of his face.

"You've just been sitting there for five minutes while the rest of us are eating." Leaning in closer and whispering, he asked teasingly, "Are you not okay again?" Immediately feeling bad for his tone, he asked earnestly, "Really?"

Sasuke just shrugged with a half grunt and bit into a salmon. Not seeming assured, Naruto kept glancing at him throughout the meal. Sasuke might've been annoyed on a normal day, but today he decided he was grateful he had a friend who cared so much and, ever so faintly, his fish tasted more flavorful after that.

He went to get a drink of water after lunch and came back to find Naruto and Kakashi nowhere in sight. He couldn't find them anywhere even though the town was small. Feeling bored, he saw Sakura gardening again and decided watching her would be better than doing nothing.

She was weeding with two other people, a woman and a little girl around ten years old. When he sat down a couple feet from the garden and just watched them, Sakura looked up and, noticing it was him, smiled in greeting. He gave a weak smile in reply. Startlingly, he saw her eyes glisten like rain on grass . . . and it was beautiful. He hadn't seen anything like it before on a person and he thought that maybe this whole being-positive thing was starting to mess with his mind.

He shifted his gaze to the other two people and thought of bonds.

Bonds were binding, restricting. That was bad, of course. But according to what other people told him, and what he had discovered himself, sometimes you wanted that binding. It was intrusive at times, getting inside hidden thoughts and feelings and controlling actions. Of course it made sense that people wanted to be free from such bonds, from all bonds. They could be suffocating.

But they could also be warm. Like a hug. There were beneficial bonds. But if one decided bonds were something to be rid of, then that person would get rid of all their bonds, including the beneficial ones. Put that way, it seemed so foolish. But freedom was like flying. It felt so fresh and relieving.

But being free from bonds was being alone. And Sasuke only knew pain from being alone. Desiring freedom from all bonds was completely self-centered but destructive.

Now things had changed.

They trusted each other and were friends again, so logically he should have no trouble explaining things to Sakura.

But he couldn't say it.

So he sat, waiting for his courage. He was fearless when it came to jutsu and anything physical, but this was not something he really knew about.

So he sat.

And waited.

And waited.

All afternoon. When she switched gardens or activities, he would just get up and follow her. At first he walked behind her, but as the day wore on, he started walking beside her, totally unaware of how he was making her feel or how confusing his actions must have been to her. And she didn't try to talk to him either. Maybe she noticed he was struggling with something or maybe she was struggling, too.

Finally dinner came and he couldn't wait to find Naruto to break the silence. Even Sasuke's mind had been oddly blank for hours, though he thought that if he hadn't been so focused he would have actually enjoyed just spending the afternoon with Sakura. But he had been focused and now wanted a change, so he actually started talking first, just to encourage Naruto to get going.

When a child had pulled Sakura off in another direction, Sasuke joked, "Way to run off, moron. What were you doing? Trying to get back to Konoha on your own? Afraid someone else is going to become Hokage while you're gone?"

"No," he replied, not fazed by the questions. "I've been _busy_ with Sakura-chan all afternoon." He declared suggestively, winking at Sasuke.

"No you haven't," Sasuke corrected slowly, thoroughly confused. "_I've_ been with her all afternoon."

And to his great astonishment and annoyance, Naruto's eyes gleamed as he high-fived Kakashi, yelling "Mission success!"

"Naruto!" He was going to get it; that was for sure.

"Shh! Teme, so did you talk to her?"

Sasuke sighed, not sure if he was annoyed with himself or his friend. ". . . No."

"What?" Naruto shouted. "Seriously, after all that?" He glanced dejectedly at Kakashi.

"Shut up, Naruto. I'll do it tomorrow. Happy?"

He smiled. "Only if you are."

And Sasuke was. Not completely happy – he still had business to take care of – but he _could_ almost describe himself as content.

Who knew that such a small decision at the beginning of the day could be so effective? It was exhausting, but he was surprised by how light he felt and how bright everything looked. He didn't know if he could manage it every day, but maybe every once in a while he could pull the trick off the bookshelf, dust it off, and try it again.

* * *

**a/n:** I want to thank everyone who gives reviews, especially those who do every week. I am so grateful for the help and it makes me really happy!


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